The Power Of The Time Lords
by Queerlybeloved
Summary: The Doctor is asked to find six Gallifreyan artifacts which when combined gives the wearer the power of the Time Lords. Racing through time and space, he must find the items before an evil Brethren does... Chapter 5 Uploaded finally! Rating changed to M.
1. The Cloister Bell

**Author's Note: **This is a Tenth Doctor story, which takes place between _The Runaway Bride _and Series 3. Being a big fan of the classic series, I have included quite a few references to classic adventures etc. in the story (which will continue, basically because I'm a bit of a geek). I am hoping that classic series viewers can appreciate the references whilst new series viewers won't find them too intrusive. By the way, thanks to Scout Girl for pointing out a slight oversight in the first draft, which has now been amended!

**Disclaimer: **It should go without saying, but I will anyway. I don't own any rights to anything to do with _Doctor Who_. I have directly quoted a line from _The Runaway Bride_ (written by Russell T. Davies) but, apart for that, the rest of it is mine!

**CHAPTER ONE: THE CLOISTER BELL**

The TARDIS span through space, passing galaxies and nebulae quicker than a heartbeat. At the control panel, the Doctor stood, pensive. His thoughts flickered to Bad Wolf Bay, the look on Rose's face, the tears on her cheeks… For all the time he had been travelling, for all the companions he had traveled with, it was her, Rose Tyler, whose absence burned the brightest. Even his recent adventure with the loud and brash Donna Noble had not diminished his pain at her leaving. But Rose was safe. Alive, well, with loved ones far away from trouble and evil and pain. _Must be nice_, he thought.

The Doctor was rudely jolted from his reverie by a loud reverberating tone that echoed through the TARDIS. He looked bemused and checked the main control room to see if anything could have fallen and caused the noise. Nothing. He checked the co-ordinates on the control panel. Everything as he had programmed it. No records to say he had crashed into space debris or a meteor.

'How strange', he said.

He heard the sound again, more distinctly this time. It reminded him of something, something long forgotten. The Doctor paused, listened intently.

It happened again. The same loud sound. Almost like a gong or…

'No. It can't be', he whispered.

It had been many years since he had last heard that sound. He had expected to never hear it again. The last time he had heard it however, he had been put on trial for his life before the Inquisitor. He had been summoned by that sound, by the ringing of the Cloister Bell of Gallifrey, and forced to return to his home planet.

_But surely not this time_, he thought. After the Time War had finished, he had briefly returned to Gallifrey and saw what had become of it. Scarred ruins, blackened and scorched earth, a hollow husk of a planet. He had been too shocked to cry.

A bleeping sound from the control panel alerted the Doctor to a change of co-ordinates. The TARDIS has diverted itself and began to follow the sound of the Cloister Bell. It was like the TARDIS had a homing beacon, which had kicked in. Attempting to override this command and change co-ordinates again was futile. The Doctor tried the co-ordinates for Segonax, Leophantos and even Griophos but to no avail.

The Doctor scanned the screen carefully.

'Those aren't the co-ordinates for Gallifrey. Where are you taking me?', he asked aloud, knowing full well his time machine would not give him an answer.

He watched the screen as they flew past recognisable planets, colonies and star systems, edging further and further into the dark reaches of space. The Doctor could feel the TARDIS accelerating too; wherever it was going, it was going there in a hurry.

The steady, sonorous clang of the Cloister Bell seemed to be getting louder as the TARDIS hurtled towards its unknown destination.

'Please don't let it be another Sanctuary Base in the middle of nowhere. Or anywhere with cats in wimples. Can't be doing with that again' he muttered.

The TARDIS landed with a slight jolt, then settled. The Doctor looked at the external scanner. It didn't look dangerous, at first sight. It _did_ look barren, like a quarry or somewhere desolate, lots of rocks and low-hanging mist and no recognisable landmarks. The scanner couldn't even pick up a name or a system for their location. They almost seemed to be out of time and space completely.

'Oh, well, better see what wants me' the Doctor said, grabbing his jacket and heading towards the TARDIS doors.

He opened the door slowly and then stepped out. His footsteps echoed. He could breathe, that was always a bonus. There didn't seem to be anything on this place except for rocks. The Doctor frowned. Why would the Cloister Bell sound here and call him to it?

He used the sonic screwdriver to scan the surrounding area. Nothing. Through the mist, he thought he could make out a light, distinct and burning against the gloom. He started to walk towards the light…

Suddenly a voice yelled out in the darkness, like the crack of a rifle in a silent forest.

'Theta Sigma!'

These two words stopped the Doctor immediately. Nobody had called him that in years, not since his college days at least. This nickname was not common knowledge.

'Who's there?' he yelled. 'Answer me!'

'Fear me not, my friend. I mean you no harm. Although I must apologise for the rather… theatrical manner of your arrival.'

From the gloom, the light began to move. It was a figure, holding a lantern aloft. A seemingly middle-aged man, dressed in thick brown and white robes. His hair was nearly silver and flowed across his shoulders. His face half in shadows, his visible hazel eye was piercing yet friendly.

The Doctor had trouble containing his frustration, which was slowly beginning to border on anger. '_You_ rang the Cloister Bell? _You_ summoned me here to this barren rock? Why? And who _are_ you?'

'All shall become apparent, my friend. Now please come with me. I have some refreshments waiting for you. And what I am about to discuss with you may well require you to sit down. Come.'

With little option but to comply, the Doctor followed the strange older man through the gloom, the lantern the only light. Occasionally, the Doctor stumbled on rough shale and had to balance himself.

Soon they arrived at a small dwelling, barely bigger than a cottage, nestled into the side of a cliff. Through a little window, the Doctor could see a fireplace and two comfortable chairs either side of it.

'Where are we?' the Doctor asked.

'This is my home,' the older man said, opening the door and turning back to the Doctor. 'Please come in.'

The Doctor walked in and promptly stopped when he caught sight of an item on the back wall of the room.

The Seal of Rassilon.

The Doctor was amazed. 'That's impossible. That can't… how did… what _is_ this place? How do you have that?'

Before the older man could answer, the Doctor's eyes were taken elsewhere in the room. The entire room was covered in relics from Gallifrey. He turned to the older man, agape.

'Time Lord?'

'I'm afraid not, my friend. Merely half-Gallifreyan, on my father's side,' the older man smiled wryly. 'I was an emissary for one of the chancellors right up until…'

'Until the Time War.'

'Yes.' That word came out, barely a whisper and weighted with pain. 'Please do sit down, my friend.'

The Emissary gestured to one of the comfortable chairs opposite the glowing fireplace. The Doctor nodded and sat down, his eyes still on the Seal of Rassilon.

The Emissary sat down in the opposite chair and the Doctor could see, very clearly, a large scar that ran down the left side of the Emissary's face, closing the left eye permanently. As the Emissary placed another log upon the fire, the Doctor could now see burns and scars all over the older man's hands. The Emissary felt the Doctor looking and fixed his one good eye on him.

'Scars, my friend. We all have them. Mine are physical… whilst yours are more… emotional, I gather.'

The Doctor looked at him, his eyes shining with tears that threatened to fall. He breathed deeply then answered the Emissary. 'As you say, we all have them.'

'You know she is safe. That thought must console you against her loss. Alana!'

A younger, female voice answered from another room. 'Yes, uncle?'

'He is here, my dear. Could you bring the refreshments in? Thank you,' the Emissary said, settling back into his chair. 'My brother's only child. He too died in the Time War. He was a captain in the President's elite guard. One of the first to be… exterminated. When I… but time enough for that. Tea?'

A pretty young woman, aged perhaps in her late twenties, came in from the other room bearing a silver salver with a samovar, cups and a cake-stand. She was tall, slender, with that same piercing look in her eyes as her uncle. She placed the salver on a small table between the two men.

'Is that all, uncle?' she said, smiling at the Emissary.

'Yes, thank you, child. Alana, this is the Doctor.'

The Doctor stood up as Alana regarded him coolly for a moment and then extended her hand. 'How do you do?'

'Pleasure to meet you' the Doctor said, taking her hand.

'Well, I shall leave you to it, uncle. Please call me when you're ready' Alana said, before leaving the two men to their tea.

The Doctor sat back for a moment, barely able to consider what was happening. He had been pulled from space by the Cloister Bell, taken to this distant rock and was now having tea with a Gallifreyan. He needed some answers.

'You called me by using the Cloister Bell.'

'That's correct' the Emissary said, drinking his tea.

'How did you remove the Bell from Gallifrey and bring it here? Do you have a TARDIS?'

'Not quite. You see, I… well, I don't _have _a TARDIS so much as I… _borrowed _one. And it's not the whole Cloister Bell. The bell-tower was destroyed and the bell shot down but when I returned…'

'Returned? What do you mean 'returned'?'

'When I returned,' the Emissary said, glossing over the Doctor's question. 'I took the shards that remained of the Bell and rebuilt it as much as I could. It is on the outcrop closest to the cottage. I did not know whether it would work, whether it would summon you here, but it has.'

The Doctor finally lost all patience, putting his teacup down loudly enough to rattle the spoons on the table. 'You say you 'returned' to Gallifrey. You say you 'borrowed' a TARDIS? You talk in riddles, _my friend_, and if you don't give me some straight answers pretty soon, whatever you _summoned_ me here for will become redundant.'

The Emissary regarded the Doctor for a moment, breathed heavily through his nostrils then put his own cup aside.

'Very well. I shall give you some straight answers. Then perhaps what I summoned you here for will become apparent.

'The Time War was truly the most terrible event I have ever witnessed. The barbarity of it, the scale of devastation was sickening. My brother, my friends and compatriots all lay their lives down in a futile attempt to stop the Dalek threat, to preserve the honour and traditions of Gallifrey against those who would assimilate and destroy it.

When we got warning that the Dalek hordes had landed on Gallifrey and were making their way through to the President's palace, everyone was armed and told to expect to die in defence of the planet.

Then I remembered the ceremonial attire and I… I deserted my post in order to find it and remove it from harm's way.'

'What ceremonial attire?' the Doctor asked.

'The six items worn and carried by the incumbent President at their coronation. The ceremonial orb and sceptre, the diadem, the sapphire ring, the President's chain of office and the coronation robe.'

'Blimey, they've changed things since my day' the Doctor said, raising an eyebrow.

'Indeed. It was felt that a little pomp and circumstance would not go amiss, especially since it was the combined power of these six articles that imbued the wearer with the power of the Time Lords.'

'Hold on… the what?'

'The Power of the Time Lords.'

The Doctor looked puzzled. 'Now, it's precious little that gets past me, but even I have to admit defeat on this one. Those six items _give_ you the power of the Time Lords? The person wearing them was always a Time Lord!'

'Not always, my friend. In the latter days- after you had gone on the run- and the true golden age of the Time Lords was in decline, it was decided that non-Time Lords could, in exceptional circumstances, be invested with that power and serve as President. I remember the chancellor I served, Chancellor Rusbarian, was most affronted when that decree was passed.'

'So these items would grant the wearer the power that we Time Lords had. No wonder you wanted to get them out of the grasp of the Daleks.'

'Precisely!' The Emissary said. 'If that Daleks had been able to harness that power… well, the consequences really do not bear thinking about. Their decimation, their _genocide _of nations would be infinitely worse. So I decided to get them away from Gallifrey.

I was able to get to the chambers where they were stored with little trouble. I grabbed the chests that contained them and ran for my very life. As I crossed the Panopticon, I could hear the muffled screams of friends as the Daleks advanced and that terrible battle cry, "Exterminate! Exterminate!"

I made it to the TARDIS bays and found one that was open. I threw the chest within it and closed the door, just as a cadre of Daleks came round the corner and began shooting at it. I steered the TARDIS as well as I could, and travelled throughout time and space, dropping off one item in the various places where I landed, hoping, praying that I had not been followed by a Dalek ship.

Luckily I had not been and so I charted the co-ordinates of where I had landed and noted what I had left there, hoping that one day I would be able to return and retrieve what I had placed there.

When I had finished, I returned to Gallifrey. The Daleks had gone but they had left a swathe of devastation in their wake. The buildings were in ruins, burning and crumbling. Bodies everywhere, that revolting stench of death heavy in the air. I ran from building to building vainly trying to find anyone who had survived. Very few had. When I entered my own chambers, I found young Alana waiting for me. She told me my brother had died, fighting against the invasion. So I told her she would come with me when I left and I would take care of her.

I scoured the President's chambers and the buildings for anything I could take with me, any relics of the planet, anything I could save. Those items around me are what I managed to save. Then I came across records of you and your trial before the Inquisitor. I took them too, and the fragments of the Cloister Bell. Alana and I, and all I saved, returned to the TARDIS I… borrowed and we fled here.'

The two men sat without talking for a few moments, the crackling of the fire the only noise in the room.

'So now do you see why I summoned you?' the Emissary asked, looking at the Doctor.

Realisation dawned on the Doctor very quickly. 'You want me to travel through time and space to collect the items.'

'That is correct.'

The Doctor paused for a moment. 'If you were so concerned about the Daleks getting hold of these ceremonial items, why didn't you just destroy them?'

There was a long pause before the Emissary answered. 'Because… because I foolishly hoped that Iwould be able to use the items to restore Gallifrey. Knowing the Daleks would decimate the planet, I hid the artifacts hoping to retrieve them and use the power of the Time Lords to master time and bring our planet back. But that is not meant to be. The TARDIS I hijacked those years ago is now beyond repair. I am now too old and I cannot defend myself as well as I could.'

'Defend yourself? Why would you…?' The Doctor paused. 'There's something you're not telling me. These items have been lost in space and time a long time. Why do you suddenly need them now?'

'We have received word that a rogue faction has learned that the ceremonial attire is hidden and they are starting to look for it themselves.'

'Who? Does this "faction" have a name?'

The Emissary swallowed hard before answering. 'The Brethren Of Osterand.'

'Never heard of them. But they've certainly got you spooked.'

'And with good reason, my friend. They are powerful and they are evil. They have members throughout space, time and even in alternate and parallel dimensions. They have a strong but subtle stranglehold on the universe, which would only increase if they were to harness the power of the Time Lords. They would enslave us all and wreak devastation that would make what the Daleks did to our planet look like an insignificance.'

The Doctor looked grave. Having seen what remained of Gallifrey, the idea of somebody causing so much damage elsewhere was abhorrent. That could not be allowed to happen.

'I'll find these items for you. Where did you leave the first one?'

'You'll do it? Oh, thank you, thank you, my friend!' The Emissary laughed. 'Alana! He'll do it! Bring the ledger, my dear.'

The Doctor rose from his chair by the fire. The Emissary stood also. Alana came in from the other room, carrying a small leather-bound book.

'I wrote everything down here,' the Emissary said, as he took the book from Alana. 'The co-ordinates for the planets, notes on the period of time which I visited, what I left, where I left it, in some cases who I left it with.'

'That will help immensely,' the Doctor said, putting his glasses on and glancing over the crabbed handwriting on the yellowed pages of the ledger. 'It'll feel slightly less like looking for a needle in a haystack. Is there anything else I need?'

'Just me' Alana said.

'What? No, hold on…' the Doctor said, taking off his glasses.

'My uncle was most insistent that, were we able to contact you and you would agree to this task, that I would go with you if you were alone,' Alana said. 'Not for the companionship so much, but there may be times you will need another's help. Are you travelling alone?'

The Doctor looked unsure. 'I am.'

'Then I must go with you.'

The Doctor was ready to protest until something that Donna had said- just before they had parted company- came to mind. _'Sometimes I think you need someone to stop you'_. Would he need stopping at any point as he tried to retrieve these artifacts? Would he be in that position where to take a life would seem too easy? Perhaps Donna, for all her brashness, was right. Perhaps he did.

'Fine. Come with me. But we must leave as soon as possible. Chances are the Brethren are out looking as we speak.'

'I'm ready to go, Doctor' Alana said.

'But… your uncle? Surely he will need your assistance?' the Doctor said, leaning close to Alana and lowering his voice. 'He is half-blind.'

'That I am, Doctor,' the Emissary said. 'It does not mean I am half-deaf. I will be able to cope quite well without Alana's presence. Besides, you may well be returning quickly than any of us anticipate.'

'And the quicker we leave, the quicker we may return,' said Alana, taking the ledger from the Doctor's hands. 'Come, Doctor. Where did your TARDIS land?'

'A little way beyond your uncle's cottage' the Doctor said, slightly stunned at how quickly he was being railroaded into leaving.

The three of them walked the short distance from the Emissary's cottage to the TARDIS, the Emissary once again leading the way with the lantern. When they reached the TARDIS, the Emissary embraced Alana and kissed her gently on the cheek. She touched the good side of the Emissary's face gently then entered the TARDIS. The Emissary smiled and shook the Doctor's hand. 'Thank you once again, Doctor. May your journey be swift and without trouble.'

'I doubt it'll be either' the Doctor said, entering the TARDIS himself.

The TARDIS doors closed and, very quickly, the light on top of the TARDIS began to pulsate and- with a loud whoosh- it vanished. The Emissary stood watching for a moment then began walking back to his cottage, his lantern once again the only light in the gloom.


	2. Grey's Technacothaka

**Author's Note and Disclaimer: **Again, I have included references to previous 'classic' and newer _Doctor Who _adventures as well as one or two references to recent spin-off _Torchwood. _Again, this is because I'm a big geek! I don't own any rights whatsoever to _Doctor Who_ (I wish I did). The term 'technacothaka' was originally used in the Fourth Doctor story _State Of Decay, _written by Terrance Dicks. All characters- apart from The Doctor- are mine.

**CHAPTER TWO: GREY'S TECHNACOTHAKA**

The Doctor stood at the TARDIS console, the Emissary's ledger perched precariously on the side. Alana had asked to be shown her 'quarters', so the Doctor had showed her to a room that his former travelling companion Adric had used as a kind of bedroom. Allowing her time to get acquainted to time-travelling in general, and the vagaries of the TARDIS in particular, he had asked her for the ledger so he would be able to program in the first set of co-ordinates and head to the location of the first Gallifreyan treasure.

With glasses on, he hunched over the console to read the ornate but cramped copperplate handwriting. 'Thyresia Delta' he muttered and tapped the co-ordinates in.

As the TARDIS veered round to follow the new route, he heard Alana yelp as she presumably lost her balance.

'Sorry! Just changing course' the Doctor yelled.

Thyresia Delta. He had visited there only once, briefly. A nice enough planet, the kind of place that gets damned by faint praise. It had made quite a change from seething volcanic planets and asteroids covered in ice. It was green, pleasant, not particularly exciting but a good choice of location to be calm and still. And the locals were incredibly friendly, even if they were purple and had four tentacles.

Alana came from her chamber and looked at the Doctor. 'This is a bizarre contraption. Bigger on the inside than without, able to jump through time and space in moments. It is truly extraordinary.'

'Don't you remember travelling with your uncle when you fled Gallifrey after the Time War?' asked the Doctor.

'Barely. I was maybe a dozen years old, more likely less. I knew my father was dead. I knew my uncle would look after me, if he had survived. I made it to his chambers and waited, and waited. Eventually he returned. Scarred, hurt but alive.'

The two of them stood silent for a while, the quiet whoosh of the TARDIS engines in the background.

'This will be easy. We'll be back to my uncle with the artifacts before he even knows it.'

The Doctor looked at her over his glasses. 'Now, why would you think that?'

Alana smiled indulgently, but to the Doctor, it looked more like a smirk. 'Because of my uncle's excellent notes. We'll simply arrive seconds after he leaves and retrieve the items. Easy.'

It was now the Doctor's turn to smirk. 'Oh, easy. Yes, I suppose it would be. If we could actually do that. You see, as diligent as your uncle has been with his notes, he hasn't included the specific _time_ he landed. And in three cases, the exact date is missing. So we can't exactly pop up and get them after he leaves, because we don't know what time of that day he actually arrived.'

'I see.'

'Besides, if we were there at the same time he was, it could well be catastrophic. It could radically alter the course of events.'

'How so?'

'Well, say we arrived just as your uncle did and asked him to hand over the artifacts. He doesn't know it's us. At the point at which he dropped these items off, he thoroughly believed he would be coming back for them in order to restore Gallifrey. He would have no inkling at that point that he would ask others to do it for him. So, chances are, he'd refuse and run scared. Maybe he would return to Gallifrey. Maybe the Daleks would capture him and gain the power of the Time Lords. Who knows? But I'm not prepared to take that risk. We follow your uncle's co-ordinates and we do this the proper way.'

There was a slight jolt as the TARDIS came to land. 'Well, here we are. Thyresia Delta. Your uncle left the ceremonial sceptre here. Shall we go and look for it?'

'Where have we materialised?'

The Doctor took a look at the external scanner. 'That can't be right. Could you pass me that ledger?'

Alana handed him the book. The Doctor squinted at the page, turned it upside down, brought it close to his face then held it far away. He looked thoughtful for a moment and then spoke. 'Ah.'

'Ah what?'

'I appear to have… misread your uncle's co-ordinates. His twos and fives look remarkably alike. We've actually landed a little way from where we were meant to. It appears we've landed _inside_ the house rather than tucked away outside it. I'll just offer to pay if I've scratched the floor or something.'

The Doctor stepped from the TARDIS and looked around. They had landed in a small corridor of a house, a few metres away from a large set of double doors. He scanned the doors with his sonic screwdriver, found nothing unusual, and then pushed them open. For one sickeningly long second, he expected to hear alarms…

Nothing.

'Seems quite safe' he said to Alana, who had waited in the TARDIS.

She joined him and they walked into the main room. It was long and wide, wooden flooring and high ceilings, walls painted an inoffensive beige. All around the room, some in rows, others freestanding, stood large glass cases containing a variety of items. The Doctor looked pensive. 'Space museum, by the looks of it.'

'Is that a problem?' Alana asked, noticing the Doctor's discomfort.

'Could be. The last time I was in a place like this, I ended up bound and stripped…'

Alana interrupted him. 'Am I going to want to hear the rest of this sentence?'

'…And subjected to all kinds of scans and procedures. If it's all the same to you, we're not going to hang around.'

The Doctor began looking at a set of cabinets on the left hand side of the room, whilst Alana searched the cases to the right. They had not been searching for very long when a voice from a corner of the room asked, 'Can I help you?'

The Doctor stood up to see a young man, barely twenty-one, standing in the corner of the room. He was very nondescript. Brown hair, blue eyes, short, round, dressed in blue shirt and black trousers with a large clipboard clutched to his chest, thin-rimmed spectacles on his face, several pens in his shirt pocket and a lanyard around his neck with some kind of identity card attached.

'Yes, you can. I was just wondering… where are we?' the Doctor asked.

The young man looked a little bewildered but still answered. 'Grey's Technacothaka, of course. Didn't you see the sign?'

'No, we kind of just… got caught up in the general rush. Who are you?'

'Owen Maitland. Buyer and tour-guide. You are…?'

'I'm the Doctor and this is my friend Alana.'

'How do you do, miss?' Owen said, flushing slightly at Alana as he took her hand.

'Perfectly well, thank you,' Alana said. 'Now then, Mr. Maitland. You said this place is a techno… techna… tech…'

'Technacothaka. It's another word for museum.'

'Why didn't you just call it a museum?' Alana asked.

'Oh, it's not my decision, miss. Lady Grey decided on the name. She liked it.'

'And Lady Grey is the owner?'

'That's right, miss.'

'And your boss?'

'Quite so' said Owen, slowly getting redder and redder.

'We'd like to see the rest of the exhibits, please.'

'It _has_ gone closing time, miss. I'm afraid I couldn't…'

'Hold on a moment,' the Doctor said, reaching inside a jacket pocket and drawing out his psychic paper. 'As members of the Thyresian licensing body, Mr. Maitland, we are required to look around, make sure everything is still ship-shape, as it were. Come along now. Chop-chop!'

Owen took one glance at the piece of paper and nearly fell over. He looked incredibly flustered.

'Right… yes. Well, really, exhibits are in this room and the next. Our collection stands at approximately two hundred and ninety-four pieces. We're always looking to expand the collection via auctions and private sales. Even the occasional scavenge. But with Torchwood in operation, they usually beat us to it on the scavenging front. We have a wide range of pieces, including some from Earth history.

'Here we have a piece of the Sycorax spaceship that was hanging over London one Christmas Day. Destroyed by Torchwood but sizable pieces have been exchanging hands in auctions- as well as on the black market- ever since

'Here we have a metal gauntlet, than can be used to revive the dead. There should be another one of these but we have no idea where the companion piece has gone.

'Two primitive Earth firearms. The one on the left was the gun used to assassinate American president Abraham Lincoln. The one on the right was used to kill John F. Kennedy…'

Alana grimaced. 'Do you have any pleasant exhibits at all, Mr. Maitland?'

'Of course, miss. Here we have some examples of galactic currency. The narg, the grotzy, some obscure Earth money called the euro.

'Here are two Telosian requiem urns. They are absolutely priceless. These are the two items that began Lady Grey's collection. They're beautiful, don't you think?'

As Owen moved past the urns, the Doctor caught sight of the ceremonial sceptre, in a case in the top-left corner of the room, next to another set of double doors. He moved over to it. 'What's this, Mr. Maitland?'

'What's what, Doctor?'

'This sceptre. It looks quite valuable.'

'Ah, that,' Owen said, joining the Doctor. 'It's part of a coronation regalia. We've had researchers trying to verify the provenance of it for years but we've never been able to work out where it comes from. It's a beautiful specimen, isn't it?'

The Doctor looked at the golden rod, studded with jewels, a large ruby encased at the top. 'It is indeed. And it shouldn't be here.'

'What?'

'I need to see Lady Grey. Now.'

'Now? Oh, that won't be possible, I'm afraid, Doctor…'

'It would be better if you did not try me, Mr. Maitland. Where is she?'

'She's in her office on the first floor. But she _really _doesn't like to be disturbed…'

'I'm sorry, Mr. Maitland, but I must insist. Now how do I get to the first floor?'

Owen hesitated for a moment but then gestured to the corner of the room and the door that he had come out of.

'Thank you' the Doctor said and headed to the stairs, Alana in tow. Owen followed behind, confused.

'I don't understand, what's so important about the sceptre?' Owen asked Alana.

Alana thought quickly to come up with an excuse. 'It's been in our family for generations and was stolen from us. We've been trying to track it down for ages. Where did you get it from?'

'It was bought via a private sale. When it comes to private sales, we don't tend to ask too many questions.'

'Perhaps you should start' the Doctor said, getting to a large door. 'Is this it?'

Owen just nodded nervously.

The Doctor opened the door and immediately a loud and angry voice yelled out 'I TOLD YOU NOT TO DISTURB ME!'

Standing at the other side of a large desk in front of a computer was a woman of indeterminate age. She was dressed in a black suit, her brown hair pulled back severely in a chignon. She had her hands on the desk and she did not look at all happy. A flicker of confusion passed over her face when she regarded the Doctor.

'Who are you?'

'They're… members of the Thyresian licensing body, madam' Owen said, but it came out as a squeak.

'Don't be ridiculous, Owen,' the woman snorted. 'They're not purple. And they don't have tentacles. So I ask again, and tell _me _the truth, who are you?'

'I'm the Doctor. Lady Grey, I presume?'

'Correct. Lady Jane Grey.'

'No relation to the nine-days-queen by any chance?'

Lady Grey smiled thinly. 'Please state your business. I am in the middle of an important deal that could land us a very unusual and prized piece for the collection. That is why I asked not to be disturbed.'

Owen visibly cringed at his employer's death-ray glare in his direction. Lady Grey turned her attention to the monitor in front of her. She was looking at the TARDIS, taken from a closed-circuit camera in the corridor where they landed. She typed a quick message on-screen. _Alien. Time Lord? Verify_.

'Oh, this won't take long. The ceremonial sceptre in your collection? The one you can't verify the provenance of?'

'Ah, that. Yes. Beautiful specimen.'

'Well, it's mine.'

Lady Grey took her eyes from the monitor. She smiled, teasingly. 'Yours?'

'Yes. It's a family heirloom that was stolen from my sister and I,' the Doctor said, indicating Alana. 'And we'd like it back.'

A bulletin flashed on the computer monitor. Lady Grey scrutinized it closely. The message read: _Gallifreyan. Time Lord. Confirmed._

A smile came to her lips. She looked at the Doctor and came from behind the desk to walk over to him and Alana. 'So, the sceptre is yours, you say? Well, I apologise. If we had known that the private seller had stolen it from you, we would never have accepted it. I will arrange for it to be brought to you immediately.'

'Thank you' the Doctor said warily. _Why is she being so accommodating? _he thought.

She took the clipboard from Owen's hands and a pen from his shirt pocket. 'There is a form you'll need to sign in order to claim it. Doctor, if you would?'

The Doctor took the clipboard and, as he did, Lady Grey stuck the pen against his chest and pressed the top. A large electrical pulse shot through the pen, into the Doctor's body, incapacitating him.

Alana ran forward and, in one movement, Lady Grey did the same to her. Alana fell to the floor, unconscious.

Lady Grey looked at Owen. 'Well, don't just stand there, you idiot! Move her to the basement!'

'The basement?'

'Yes, where all the other rubbish goes. She is of no use to us and can be disposed of,' Lady Grey said, standing over the prone body of the Doctor. 'But this one… he and his travelling machine will be my next great exhibits.'

'Who is he, really?' Owen asked as he hoisted Alana's lifeless body from the floor.

'He is the last of the Time Lords. People will pay double, treble to see him!'

Owen unwillingly dragged Alana from the room. Lady Grey sat down behind her desk. Yes, she thought, with the last Gallifreyan in her collection, business would soon be astronomical!

The Doctor came to with a throbbing headache and a slight ache in his chest. He lay on a cold wooden floor and gently raised himself to a seated position. He was behind a large thick glass partition. He could now see where he was. He was in one of the exhibit cases in the second room of the museum. He groaned. _What did she hit me with?_ he thought.

'I'll soon sort this out' he said and reached into his jacket.

His pockets were empty. He groaned again.

'Looking for this?,' Lady Grey asked, walking from the other end of the room to the Doctor's cell, brandishing the sonic screwdriver. 'You honestly didn't think I'd let you have your fabled screwdriver? The one device that's got you out of more scrapes that any other? You must think I'm stupid.'

'No, I don't think you're stupid at all. I think you're crazy, megalomaniacal and ever so slightly unhinged. But I don't think you're stupid.'

Lady Grey smirked. 'You may think what you will, my dear Doctor. But you're staying where you are.'

'Where's my TARDIS? And what have you done with Alana?'

'Your travelling machine is yet to be moved from my lobby. And your sidekick? Oh, she's being taken care of.'

Alana regained consciousness but also had the headache and slight pain in the chest where she had been zapped. She was in a dark, airless room, dimly lit and filled with broken crates and boxes. No sooner had her eyes got used to the half light, then a loud roaring sound and a flash of light came from the far end of the room. A large metal grate was slowly raising, revealing a huge burning furnace.

'I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Please… forgive me' Owen said, in a pitiful whisper. He was standing on a small platform just above the entrance to the room.

'OWEN! HELP ME! PLEASE!' Alana screamed.

'I can't. I'm sorry. Lady Grey…' he said.

The conveyor belt beneath her feet began to move slowly. The boxes closest to the furnace mouth fell in and began to burn.

'Owen, please! You're a good man, a decent man. You're not a killer. Please. Get me off this conveyor.'

'I can't. My orders were to dispose of you. So I took you to the waste disposal.'

The conveyor lurched forward again, bringing Alana a little closer to the wall of flame.

She turned to face him. 'You won't go through with it. You can't. You won't be able to stay and watch me burn. You'd never live with yourself if you do this.'

'You don't understand. It's you or me, miss. If I don't do this… Lady Grey will kill me.'

The conveyor moved again. Alana could feel the tremendous heat of the fire on her back and could hear the crackle as the other pieces of rubbish were destroyed.

'Owen, please. Please… help me. Shut the conveyor off. Don't do this.'

Their eyes met for a moment, Alana's pleading, Owen's pained. Swallowing hard, Owen lurched across to the furnace controls and shut the machine down.

Alana caught her breath, walked towards the platform where Owen stood. Not speaking, he offered his hand to her, which she took, hoisting her up to the platform.

'Thank you' she said.

He nodded. 'We'd better go and find your friend.'

'What do you think this is going to achieve? Keeping me trapped here?' the Doctor asked.

Lady Grey smiled slyly. 'Profit, of course. The last of the Time Lords. The final scion of Gallifrey. They'll come from all over the galaxy to see you. You're famous, of course. Well, infamous. _Notorious_. The Doctor. Lonely wanderer of the universe, always travelling forward, never looking back, leaving devastation and unhappiness in your wake. A sad and pathetic figure, the final example of an indolent race, more than happy to play God with any race he comes into contact with. Well, now look at you. Trapped behind glass, struggling like a butterfly pinned to a board. It would almost be tragic, were it not almost poetically just.'

'Profit. All comes down to profit. It never fails to depress me that the galaxy is powered by greed and selfishness.'

'And it is, for the most part. Those "decent" qualities? Kindness, forbearance, fortitude. That is not the way it works. You have to be vicious. You have to be strong. The weakest go to the wall all too soon. And I have no intention of joining them.'

The Doctor looked past her shoulder and raised his eyebrows. 'Funny how things can change, isn't it?'

Lady Grey turned round to see Alana and Owen standing there, Owen holding the pen that administered the electric shocks.

'What _do_ you think you're doing, Owen?' Lady Grey said.

'Let him go, Jane' Owen said.

Lady Grey moved away from the Doctor's case towards Owen and Alana. 'Jane? _Jane? _Since when do _you_ call me by my first name? You pathetic little worm. He isn't going anywhere. And what is this piece of skirt still doing alive? I told you to get rid of her!'

'I couldn't do it. She hasn't done anything. I can't kill an innocent woman.'

'That's because you're weak, Owen. You're weak-willed and useless,' Lady Grey said, pausing by an open-faced rack of ceremonial daggers. 'Well, I suppose if you want something doing, you're best off doing it yourself.'

She pressed a button to override the security system, picked up a large-bladed silver dagger and advanced on Alana. As Lady Grey raised the knife to stab her, Owen used the pen on her, delivering a massive electric shock through his employer causing her to scream and then fall to the floor. She dropped the knife as she fell; it clattered on the wooden floor as it too hit the ground.

He turned to Alana. 'Are you OK?'

She nodded. Owen knelt down and quickly rifled through Lady Grey's pockets, finding the TARDIS key as well as the sonic screwdriver. 'Here. Take these to your friend. I have something I need to do.'

Alana took the items then watched as Owen set off through the large doors at the end of the room, into the first part of the museum. She went over to the glass, showing the Doctor the items.

'Place the sonic screwdriver against the glass then press that button' the Doctor instructed.

Alana did so and a crack appeared in the glass, slowly spider-webbing out across the surface of the case. It cracked into tiny shards yet remained in one piece.

'Now stand back' the Doctor said.

Alana took a step back and the Doctor raised his hand and tapped the cracked glass. It shattered completely, falling to the floor in a shower of splinters.

The Doctor stepped forward, across the sea of broken glass and went to Alana. She smiled and then, on impulse, hugged him.

As they separated, there was the sound of breaking glass coming from the next room and then a loud alarm went off. They ran into the first room to see Owen, his left elbow slightly bleeding, holding the Gallifreyan sceptre in his left hand. He had used his elbow to break the glass to retrieve the article

'I believe this is what you came for, Doctor. Take it' Owen said, holding the golden rod out to him.

The Doctor took the artifact and smiled. 'Thank you.'

'What will you do now?' Alana asked.

Owen looked towards the second room. 'I don't know.'

'Come with us! We'll keep you safe!' Alana offered.

Owen looked at her and smiled. 'No. You can't keep me safe. Not from her. She'd find me. Wherever I went, she'd find me. You'd better go, both of you. Before she comes to.'

The Doctor looked at him. He offered his hand. 'Thank you.'

Owen nodded, swallowing hard, on the verge of tears. Alana hugged him and kissed him gently on the cheek.

A guttural howl came from the other room. Lady Grey had awoken to find the Doctor's case empty. Dishevelled, disorientated but still holding the silver dagger, she stumbled into the first chamber and saw the three of them.

'GO!' Owen yelled and the Doctor and Alana ran from the room, Alana turning round at the door to see Lady Grey raising the dagger high above Owen's chest.

As they span through time and space in the TARDIS, Alana was quiet. After he had set the flight co-ordinates, the Doctor spent a great deal of time staring at the sceptre. Holding it in his hands, he could feel the energy emanating from it.

'The power of the Time Lords' he murmured.

He turned back to see Alana still, a tear sliding down her face.

'He didn't have to do that. We could have saved him. Taken him with us, dropped him somewhere, anywhere, any time. Away from that horrible woman' she said.

'We could have. He didn't want that, though. He felt it better to stay and face her. He was very bold in those last moments' the Doctor said, putting a hand on her shoulder.

She covered his hand with her own, looked at him and nodded.

'Without his courage, we would not be here. I'd be locked up in that technacothaka until my last regeneration and you'd have been "disposed of". Owen Maitland's bravery will not go unremembered, Alana. Not here' he said.

He raised his other hand to her cheek and wiped away the tears. She smiled. He took his hand from her shoulder and went back to the control console. Alana took a moment to collect herself and then joined him.

'Where are we off to next?' she asked.

The Doctor looked at the Emissary's ledger and smiled. 'Earth.'


	3. Jesmond House

**Author's Notes and Disclaimer: **Apologies that this has taken so long to be posted- there haven't been enough hours in my life at the moment. This is my first attempt at a 'historical' _Doctor Who _story. Again, there are references to the classic series. A little historical information- the public celebrations for Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee took place on June 22 1897, despite the actual Jubilee happening in 1896. Elias' comment about Ibsen 'having a lot to answer for' after Alana slams the door comes from the public reaction to his 1879 play _A Doll's House _which has the main female character Nora slamming the door on her husband and children in order to search the wider world. Also, whilst Emmeline Pankhurst is best known with the Suffragette Movement, which took prominence before and during World War One, she had already been active in women's rights by 1897 (when the story is set). The Doctor also directly quotes from _Hamlet _by William Shakespeare. The line that Elias uses when faced by the creature comes from 'Of Exorcisms And Certain Supplications', a Roman Catholic document that describes the rite of exorcism, written in approximately 1614. All characters, other than The Doctor, are mine.

CHAPTER THREE: JESMOND HOUSE 

**Standing by **the burning fireplace in the main parlour, his left elbow leaning on the marble mantlepiece, Patrick De Vries was deep in thought. _How much longer will this go on? _he thought. He sighed heavily then pinched the bridge of his nose with his left hand. He was tired. Very tired indeed. If only he could get one good night of rest…

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. 'Yes?' he called.

The door opened and the housemaid, a girl of seventeen dressed in black and white, a small mobcap covering her dark brown hair, stood meekly in the doorway. 'Sorry to interrupt you, sir. But the Reverend Elias has just arrived.'

'Thank you, Abigail. I'll attend to him in just a moment,' Patrick said, aware of the gentle gaze of the girl. 'Pray to God he will be able to help us.'

'Quite so, sir,' Abigail said, pausing before speaking further. 'I hope I'm not talking out of turn, sir, but is there more news from the London gentleman? The doctor?'

'I received word from his two days ago. He was delayed by a matter of some urgency but would let me know when he was en route,' Patrick said, walking over to the girl. 'Worry not, Abigail. By one way or another, this dreadful business will soon be over.'

'I hope so, sir. For all our sakes.'

Patrick smiled and placed a hand on Abigail's shoulder. 'Now, where is Reverend Elias?'

**The TARDIS **landed gently in the middle of a field. The Doctor stepped out and put his foot into a puddle. 'Oh, marvellous,' he said, turning back into the TARDIS. 'Watch your step as you get out. It's a… touch on the muddy side.'

'Surely you should be placing your cloak across it to save my footwear?' Alana asked.

'We're a little past the sixteenth century, Alana. Your uncle's co-ordinates put us in 1897. The dying days of the Victorian era. All covered-up table legs and repression. Should be a barrel of laughs.'

'Then we should make sure we don't tarry any longer than necessary' Alana said, stepping from the TARDIS in a beautiful black silk gown and cape. 'Do I fit in?'

'Quite so, my lady,' the Doctor said, offering his arm to her which she took and they began walking across the field to the road. 'Now then, according to your uncle's ledger, he left the Presidential chain of office here. He says he gave it to a man with the initials WVG who worked at Jesmond House. All we have to do is find that house and the man and retrieve it from him.'

The Doctor disengaged his arm and opened the five-bar gate. As Alana stepped onto the road, she looked back at the big blue box stuck in the field. 'Aren't people going to notice your vehicle? It is somewhat anachronistic.'

'It is,' the Doctor said, closing the gate behind him and beginning to walk up the road. 'Every TARDIS comes equipped with what's known as a chameleon circuit. A device that will help the machine fit in to the era you are in by turning it into something contemporary to that time. Perhaps an obelisk if we had landed in Cleopatra's Egypt, that kind of thing. I could have made it look like… I don't know, a scarecrow. Or a haystack. But when I first landed on Earth, it took the form of the police box and the circuit stuck. I have managed to get it working since, but only briefly. Besides, I've grown used to it now. And people don't tend to notice.'

'Whoever owns the field might' Alana said.

'Well, hopefully, if we can find WVG quick enough, they won't even notice' the Doctor replied.

The road was rough and pitted, both the Doctor and Alana stumbling occasionally. As they rounded a bend in the road, they were both taken by the sight of a large mansion house set upon a steep cliff. The sound of the sea could be heard faintly. In the gathering darkness of the evening, several lights shone in the mansion windows.

'Jesmond House, I presume' said the Doctor.

They walked for another ten minutes or so, struggling up the steep incline of the cliff, the sound of waves breaking against the cliff base getting louder. They arrived, a little out of breath, legs aching. The Doctor knocked on the door.

Presently, a housemaid opened the door. She looked bemused to see these two strangers.

'Ah, yes, good evening, miss. Is this Jesmond House?'

'Yes, it is, sir.'

'Oh, wonderful. I'm the Doctor and this is my companion Alana. Could we…'

The Doctor's introduction was interrupted by a sound from the maid that was half-gasp and half-squeak. Her trembling hands flew to her mouth. The Doctor and Alana exchanged worried glances.

'Are you alright?' the Doctor asked.

'Oh, please do beg my pardon, sir. I quite forgot myself for a moment. I'm sorry. Come in, come in at once. You are expected, sir, of course you are' the maid said, stepping to one side and allowing the Doctor and Alana to step inside.

'Thank you very much' the Doctor said, bewildered.

'I'll just go to the master of the house and tell him you've arrived,' the girl said, pausing and then unexpectedly touching their hands. 'Thank the Lord you're here.'

The girl scurried off and the Doctor and Alana were left alone in the cavernous hall of the house. There was a definite air of faded grandeur to the house, several washed out portraits and landscapes hung on the walls, a small chipped chandelier hung from the ceiling. Alana wrapped her arms around herself. 'We're not expected at all, are we?'

'_We're_ not, no. Someone else is, though. When I see the master of the house, I'll just explain, ask to see WVG and then we'll leave them to it.'

The maid reappeared with haste. 'The master asks, would you and your… lady friend like to join him in the parlour?'

'Certainly. Please lead the way' the Doctor said and the maid hurried off again. The Doctor and Alana followed.

As soon as they entered the room, the heat of the burning fire hit them. Standing before the fire was a young man, dressed tidily in the fashion of the day, looking incredibly tired and a little on edge. Sat in a comfortable chair with perfect poise was an older gentleman, white hair severely cut, dressed in black, with a dog collar.

'The Doctor and his… companion, sir' the maid introduced them.

The young man smiled. 'Thank you, Abigail. Welcome, Doctor. You too, miss. I'm Patrick De Vries. My wife and I own the house.'

'Pleased to meet you' the Doctor said.

'I shall assume your journey has been long and arduous. Some refreshments are in order. Would you like some tea?' Patrick asked.

'Um, yes, that would be lovely, thank you. It's quite a cold night' the Doctor replied.

'The Cornish coast can often be quite inhospitable. Abigail. If you would?' Patrick asked the maid.

'Certainly, sir' she said, bobbing and then heading out of the room.

The clergyman in the chair and the young man by the fire both turned their eyes to Alana. Becoming aware of their attentions, she looked at the Doctor. 'Is there something wrong?' she whispered.

'Is this really a subject to discuss in front of this young woman?' the clergyman asked.

'She is a very experienced young woman, aiding me in many situations. She is very able and is not easily scared' said the Doctor.

'Is he asking me to leave?' Alana asked.

'We're merely considering your… feminine constitution, miss. Some of these details may be a little… harrowing for you' the clergyman said.

Alana turned to Patrick. 'Are these details you have discussed with your wife, Mr. De Vries?'

'Certain of them, of course. She has been privy to a lot of the… behaviour within the house' Patrick replied.

'And did you not consider her "feminine constitution"?'

'Well, I…'

'Gentlemen, let me be plain. My _feminine constitution _is perfectly fine. There is precious little you could say that would shake me. So, I pray you, continue.'

The clergyman and Patrick exchanged bemused glances. The Doctor, sensing their discomfort, smiled politely to them and then took Alana aside for a moment.

'What?' she asked.

'They're just not used to hearing a woman talk so forwardly. This _is _1897, remember. Look, do me a favour, please. Go and talk to the maid.'

Alana looked positively affronted. 'I beg your pardon?'

'Go and give the maid a hand. You'll probably get more information off her than I will out of these stuffed shirts. In my experience, it's always the domestics that can tell you more about the situation. Please?'

Alana looked furious for a moment then said 'Fine.'

'Thank you' the Doctor said.

Alana turned back to the other two men, smiled sarcastically, said 'Gentlemen' and headed from the room, defiantly slamming the door behind her.

'All this slamming of doors. Mr. Ibsen has a lot to answer for,' the clergyman said, to himself, before turning toward the Doctor. 'Quite the little firebrand you have there, Doctor. Mrs. Pankhurst would be proud to have her in her crusade'

'I'm sorry, I didn't introduce you, did I?,' Patrick said. 'This is the Reverend Philip Elias, our local clergyman, Doctor. Reverend, this is…'

'I know who he is, Patrick. And I will tell you now at the outset, I do not countenance his presence here. Dabbling in blasphemy and darkness.'

'Now, hold on a minute…'

Elias turned to the Doctor. 'Can you deny that is what you do? All this "paranormal investigation" is, at best, cheap mummery and, at worst, trafficking with the Devil.'

'Your beliefs do not have the monopoly on this world, Reverend. Remember that "there are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy".'

Before Elias could interject again, Patrick spoke. His voice was quiet yet filled with a tremor that suggested tears or fear. 'I do not know which of you, if either, can help me. All I know is that there is a malign presence in this house that needs to be purged if I am to keep my sanity and my wife is to have her child in peace.'

'Tell me more' said the Doctor.

'**Please, miss, **put that tray down! You're not supposed to be doing this, this is servant's work!' Abigail said as Alana picked up a heavy silver tray to put the teapot and cups on.

'Nonsense! My instructions were to come and help you' Alana said.

'But it's not right, miss. You being a lady of breeding and such' the maid said.

'I'm hardly a lady of breeding, Abigail' Alana said, placing a jug of milk on the tray.

'Nonetheless, I still don't think it's right,' Abigail said, busying herself with folding a linen napkin before turning back to Alana. 'I hope you don't think I'm talking out of turn, miss, but I am glad that you and the doctor are here. Perhaps it can put an end to this terrible business.'

'Well, we hope so,' Alana said, moving forward to place a china cup on the tray. 'With my… ejection from the conversation, I was hoping you'd be able to tell me something of what's been going on here.'

Abigail looked confused. 'Didn't the master's letter convey things clearly enough, miss?'

'I have only seen that letter in passing.'

'I see,' Abigail said, moving in close to Alana and whispering conspiratorially. 'Well, it's just been awful. It's only myself of the household staff left. The rest have all gone. Nobody will work here anymore.'

'Why not?'

'Because of the ghosts.'

'**Ghosts? This **house is haunted?' the Doctor asked.

'I believe so, Doctor. It seems to be the only answer left,' Patrick said, sitting in the chair by the fire. 'We have had some terrible things happening here…'

Patrick was interrupted by a loud, long and distinctly unholy yell that seemed to echo throughout the house. Reverend Elias clutched for his crucifix whilst Patrick closed his eyes and put a hand to his head.

Presently the scream stopped. The room was silent.

'Terrible things like that?' the Doctor asked.

Patrick nodded. 'They began just before Christmas. It began with those unearthly screams in the night. Then it progressed. Heavy items were frequently overturned, fine china and crystal maliciously broken, we would find bed linen torn and shredded. It was difficult for us, but we managed to cope with it. Until Erica- that's my wife- found herself with child. The nights were difficult and we found it hard to sleep.

'The crowning moment came four months ago. Against better judgement, we opened the house to members of our families for a party to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. We also used it to announce that Erica was expecting a child. We had family coming from various places in the country. Erica had an elderly aunt coming from Lyme Regis. Whilst the party happened without incident- luckily the supernatural screaming and breaking of items had ceased- that evening… a malignant force attacked Erica's aunt, slashing and clawing at her, drawing blood and cutting deep. She… died of her injuries soon after.'

As Patrick paused, the unearthly howl sounded again through the house.

When he spoke again, emotion quavered in his voice. He raised his head and looked at the Doctor and Reverend Elias, his eyes brimming with incipient tears. 'Gentlemen, there is evil in this house. I cannot allow it to stay and infect the place any longer. My son or daughter will soon be here and they need to enter the world into a place of peace. Help me purge this house of this dreadful curse. Please.'

Reverend Elias stood up and said 'And help you I shall, Patrick. The bishop has been appraised of the situation and he has granted me permission, should you agree, to perform a cleansing ritual upon the house, exorcising the spirits that plague you and your wife.'

'An exorcism?' the Doctor asked pointedly. 'And you accuse me of cheap mummery!'

'It is a sanctioned and legitimate rite of the Church…'

'It's little more than smoke and mirrors!' the Doctor yelled as Abigail came in with the tea tray. She poured three cups of tea and handed them to the men, all of who remained quiet in front of the girl.

'Oh, Abigail. Thank you. Would you go upstairs and see if my wife is awake?' Patrick asked.

'Certainly, sir' Abigail said, bobbing again and disappearing.

When the girl had closed the door, Reverend Elias took a sip of tea and spoke again. 'Patrick, this… bedevilment of your house has continued long enough. You have consulted with so-called spiritual mediums, clairvoyants, all these charlatans like him who pretend they can get to the root of the problem when all they do is play-act. With this simple ritual, we will be able to rid this house of evil. With your permission, I shall go to the church, pick up what I need and return to perform the ceremony.'

Patrick looked between the Doctor and the Reverend. 'It seems unfair to call this gentleman all the way from London and not at least let him try. Give us twenty-four hours, Reverend. If, by that time, the Doctor has not got to the cause of the trouble, by all means I will sanction this… exorcism.'

The Reverend looked angry but huffed and said 'Fine. He won't find anything, though. Did that fraud clairvoyant Madame Magenta find anything? No. But I will return tomorrow evening, if I have not received word of his… success, and the rite will be performed and you will finally be at peace.'

'Agreed' said Patrick, turning his attention to the Doctor. 'Will that be enough time?'

'We shall see.'

'Indeed,' Reverend Elias said, finishing his tea and rising from his seat. 'Until tomorrow then. Patrick, do give my regards to your wife. Doctor.'

'Reverend' the Doctor said formally.

Patrick showed the Reverend to the door and the Doctor got from his chair and began looking around the room. For a third time, the loud howl ripped through the house, this time followed by the sound of something heavy and wooden being thrown to the floor. The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver and began scanning the room. He stopped when Patrick re-entered the room.

'I feel I must apologise for the Reverend, Doctor. He is very… traditional in his views.'

'That seems apparent.'

'Well…,' Patrick said, pausing. 'I shall see to it that you and your… companion have rooms for the night. Please excuse me for a moment.'

**Alana stood **in the kitchen, waiting for Abigail's return. She had gone to take the tea tray to the gentlemen. Alana was concerned. What would happen if the master of the house found out they were impostors? How would they explain themselves? Moreover, how would they then retrieve the chain of office from the mysterious WVG? The quest was all, her uncle told her once. She could not fail him.

Abigail bustled into the kitchen, looking nervous. 'The master asked me to look upon the mistress. She grows more pained, more anxious. I fear it will not be long before the baby is born.'

Alana cleared her throat and then lowered her voice. 'Abigail… your master's letter to the Doctor mentioned someone who works here. He only provided his initials, though. WVG?'

Abigail looked shocked. She swallowed hard. 'That… that would be Mr. Van Garrett, miss. The steward.'

'I see. And is Mr. Van Garrett here this evening?'

'No, miss. He isn't' Abigail answered, her response cagey.

'Where might we find him?' Alana asked.

'You won't, miss,' Abigail said, pausing. 'Mr. Van Garrett is dead.'

'Dead? How? When? What happened, Abigail?' Alana asked.

'I… cannot tell you, miss' Abigail said, busying herself with clearing some things away from the table.

'Why?'

'Please do not ask me. I…' Abigail began, but stopped when she noticed Patrick standing in the kitchen doorway.

'Abigail, please make ready two rooms for the Doctor and his companion. They will be staying with us this evening. How is my wife?'

'She feels that it will not be long before the baby will arrive.'

'I see. In the morning, then, please call for the midwife and Dr. Burgess. Miss, the Doctor is in the parlour. Please excuse us.'

Patrick walked out of the kitchen. Abigail followed, not before shooting an imploring, confused look at Alana.

**While Abigail **prepared the rooms for the guests, Patrick went in to see his wife. Heavily pregnant, Erica had been consigned to bed-rest by her own physician, Dr. Burgess, a week before. She lay, propped up by pillows, eyes closed, looking asleep. Patrick stood at the door, watching her for a moment. He walked gently to the bed, sat on the edge of it and looked at his wife. She looked, for a moment, rested and peaceful. He moved a stray strand of her hair from her face, took her hand and kissed it gently.

Erica opened her eyes and looked at her husband, smiling softly.

'Did I wake you?' he whispered.

'No, the loud screams woke me. I've just been resting with my eyes closed' she said.

'And how are you feeling?'

'I feel heavy and tired and I'm aching. I think it may soon be time' Erica said.

'Soon, our beautiful child shall be here. And perhaps our house at peace too.'

'Pray that it will.'

'He's here. The Doctor. From London' Patrick said, eagerly.

Erica sat forward, excited. 'I thought he was delayed.'

'As did I. But he and his assistant turned up earlier this evening. Just when Reverend Elias was here'

'Oh, dear. That was awkward, I presume' Erica said.

'It was a little, but the Doctor seemed unfazed by the Reverend's words. But one of them will be able to help us, my love. Soon, we shall be at peace' Patrick said, moving closer and kissing his wife on the lips.

'**Our mysterious **WVG is dead' Alana said, walking into the parlour and surprising the Doctor.

'What? Dead?'

'Exactly. Abigail let it slip whilst we were in the kitchen. His full name was William Van Garrett and he was the steward of the estate. That's all she could tell me. She appeared very… unnerved when I asked her.'

The unearthly howl echoed through the house again, accompanied by something being smashed.

'The master of the house is preparing rooms for us. They expect us to stay' Alana added.

'I know. We have until tomorrow evening to find out what's wrong here and cure it or else Reverend Elias gets to do his exorcism' the Doctor said.

'Of course we could come clean. Admit to not being who they think we are.'

The Doctor looked at Alana. 'If we do that, your uncle's mission becomes null and void. They'd be sure to turn us from the house and any chance of finding the chain of office will be lost. Best to keep quiet and then try and work our way through this.'

Abigail appeared in the doorway. 'Pardon me, miss, sir… your rooms are ready. I'll show you to your chambers.'

The Doctor walked toward the door and stopped when he noticed a quizzical look on Abigail's face. 'Is something the matter?'

'Your luggage, sir. You don't appear to have any with you.'

'Ah, yes, well… that I can explain,' the Doctor replied, taken aback by the question. 'You see, we had made provision to stay in a small tavern not far from here as we did not know what time we would arrive. The carriage that conveyed us took our baggage to said tavern and we came directly here.'

'I see' Abigail said, confused.

'Not that it matters, I daresay if Reverend Elias gets his way, we will be leaving tomorrow. Please, lead on' the Doctor said.

**The Doctor's **bedchamber was sparsely furnished, a single four-poster bed dominating the room, a table in one corner with a chair beside it, a small washstand by the door and wood panelling all around the walls.

'Sleep well, sir' Abigail said and closed the door.

The Doctor took in his surroundings quickly then went to the table and took his jacket off.

With his back turned, he did not notice the distortion in one of the wood panels by the bed. He did not notice it begin to warp and constrict. He did not see a monstrous face form within the panel and push its way into the room, the wood creaking and bowing. He believed the creaking was just that of an old house settling for the evening.

The face in the panel looked at the Doctor, bared inhuman fangs then withdrew into the wall, leaving the panel unmarked.

**The long **dark hours of that night passed without incident. It was nearing six in the morning when the howling began.

The Doctor had slept fitfully but not deeply and had been awake for an hour or so, washed and dressed, scanning the room and the corridors to see if there was any alien activity. Having found nothing, he had returned to his own chamber. He had barely closed the door when the first howl ripped through the room.

He spun on his heels, sonic screwdriver in hand, and scanned the chamber. There was a distinct disturbance in the left-hand side of the room. He slightly adjusted the setting on the screwdriver and waited.

As the next howl came, he pressed a button on the screwdriver that sent a pulse of energy through the air and drew the creature from the wood panel where it had been hiding. One long and cruelly clawed arm and shoulder emerged from the wood as well as a hideous long-snouted face with deep burning red eyes, a greenish-grey pallor and hideous sharp teeth.

The creature snarled again and the Doctor, keeping his hand on the screwdriver, shouted 'What are you?'

'We… want…' the creature replied in a harsh and guttural voice.

'Why are you here? Answer me!'

'We… want…'

'Don't play games with me! I'll vapourise you in a heartbeat if you don't answer! Why are you here?'

'Blood… we want… _blood_!'

The Doctor, stunned by the violence of the creature's tone, asked 'What are you?'

'Lanuthone' the creature replied.

The Doctor let go of the button on the sonic screwdriver and the energy pulse faded, allowing the Lanuthone to retreat into the wall. The Doctor put a hand to his mouth. This was worse than he could have imagined…

He flung open the chamber door to find Alana standing there in a thick white nightgown. 'Doctor, what was that? Are you alright?'

He turned to her. 'Get dressed. We need to go back to the TARDIS.'

From the other end of the corridor, Patrick's head emerged from his bedchamber. 'Doctor? What was that? Are you hurt?'

'No, Mr. De Vries, I'm not hurt. But I _have_ found out what ails this house. I just need to find what will purge them. My assistant and I will take our leave in a moment but will return shortly. In the meantime, attend to your wife.'

'As you wish' he said, confused, and returned to his room.

'Doctor, what is going on? Tell me. You're frightening me!' Alana said.

'We all have very good reason to be frightened. Get changed. I'll explain everything as we go back to the TARDIS. Hurry!'

The Doctor fetched his jacket from the back of the chair and looked at the corner of the room. This was bigger than he'd anticipated. So much had to be done…

**The Doctor **and Alana left briskly. They were walking back down the hill to the field where the TARDIS had landed when Alana said 'OK. Now tell me. What did you find?'

'Jesmond House is infected by Lanuthones.'

'From your tone of voice, I'm going to assume they're neither spirits nor ghosts.'

'Absolutely. Lanuthones are aliens. Vicious killers to boot. Which means there are bigger things happening here.'

'What do you mean?'

'Lanuthones are basically mercenaries for hire. For the right price, they will infest a place and wreak havoc. But if they're stuck in a place for too long, they revert to their usual patterns of behaviour.'

'Which are?'

'Slaughter and violence. They're carnivores. And anyone is fair game.'

They got to the field where the TARDIS had landed. As the Doctor opened the gate, Alana asked 'why are they here? What do they want?'

'I think they were sent here to frighten the De Vries' into leaving, so the house would be clear.'

Alana thought for a moment then looked at the Doctor, aghast. 'The Brethren.'

'Exactly. Get them out of the house, so they can find the chain of office. Simple enough.'

'But where does Van Garrett fit into this? My uncle trusted him enough to leave the chain with him. Surely he wouldn't…'

'What? Betray your uncle to the Brethren? Perhaps Van Garrett was working _for _the Brethren.'

The Doctor opened the TARDIS and walked inside to the cavernous control room. He went through to one of the other rooms, which had a variety of alien artifacts and drawings all over the place. He picked up a box of items and began rifling through it.

'What are you looking for?' Alana asked from the doorway.

'Something that will repel the Lanuthones. A hunting party consists of three of them, two of them linked to the Chief. The Chief Lanuthone has a deep red stripe along the snout. The other two don't. Get rid of the Chief, the other two die too. But hit one of the lieutenants, the other two will survive. Until I get a shot at the Chief, we need something to keep them back. Especially if Mrs. De Vries is right and she's ready to give birth.'

Alana looked pensive. 'So much to do.'

'Indeed. We need to find out what happened to Van Garrett. If he was working for the Brethren, they may have the chain already. If he wasn't, we need to find where he hid it,' the Doctor said, over his shoulder as he continued looking through items. 'We also need to convince Reverend Elias not to go through with the exorcism. It won't do anything. In fact, it might make matters worse.'

After a few moments of frantic scrabbling, the Doctor found what he was looking for. He turned round to face Alana holding what looked like a large blue rock.

'What's that?' she asked.

'A heliothon crystal. I came across it on one of my trips to Metebelis 3. It should keep them back.'

'Should?'

'Never any guarantees. We need to get back. I'll have to ask you to take the… domestic approach again, if you don't mind. Abigail will talk to you, I think.'

Alana pursed her lips for a moment. 'Very well.'

'Thank you. We'd better get back to the house. Too much is at stake for us not to be there.'

**By the **time they had arrived back at Jesmond House, things had already taken a turn for the worst. Reverend Elias had arrived, fully prepared to carry out his exorcism.

The Doctor and Alana had been told of this by Abigail, who had opened the door to them. As soon as she had mentioned this, the Doctor stormed into the parlour, where the Reverend and Patrick were in discussion.

'Twenty-four hours, you said, Reverend. My time is not up!' the Doctor yelled.

'It doesn't matter, Doctor. Things have changed which required I came earlier.'

'Erica has gone into labour. She began soon after you and your companion left. Dr. Burgess thinks it will only be a matter of hours before the child is born' Patrick said, quietly.

'In any instance, Doctor, Patrick tells me you had discovered what ails the house.'

'I have! And this will help to repel them!' the Doctor said, holding up the crystal.

The contempt on Reverend Elias' face was plain for all to see. 'Ridiculous. Pure play-acting. You should consider a change of career to the London stage, Doctor. It is the only place where these puerile histrionics would be tolerated. Patrick, I will need a chamber in which to prepare myself. Thirty minutes or so and I shall be ready.'

Abigail and Alana had stood in the doorway, listening. When movement came from within the parlour, both women headed quickly towards the kitchen.

The Reverend emerged from the parlour and strode up the stairs, bag in hand. The Doctor stuck his head round the door. 'This won't work, Reverend. You'll just be making matters worse!'

Reverend Elias stopped on the stairs. 'Things cannot get any worse, Doctor! This will cleanse and soothe this troubled place. Which room shall I use to prepare, Patrick?'

'The last room on the left, Reverend' Patrick replied meekly.

'That was the room I was in last night! There was activity in that room!' the Doctor said.

The Reverend smiled. 'Then that will be the perfect place for me to begin. Thirty minutes, Patrick, and it will be all over.'

**In the **kitchen, Abigail was busy boiling a pan of water to take up to Erica's room. Alana sat at the table, thinking.

'Abigail, I need you to talk to me about Mr. Van Garrett. I think his death is important to what has been happening here' Alana said.

Abigail turned on her heel. 'Please, miss, I asked you yesterday. Please do not ask me.'

'When did he die? Was it before or after the strange happenings started?'

Abigail regarded Alana for a moment and then sighed. 'Afterwards. Three days afterwards. I… I found him. Or what was left of him.'

'What do you mean, what was left? Had he been attacked?'

Abigail's eyes began to fill with tears. She nodded.

'Abigail, this is very important. Please think about what I'm about to ask you. In the days before he died, do you remember Mr. Van Garrett acting strangely?'

'I… couldn't say, miss. We barely spoke to one another. He would always smile and nod to me but not… talk. It did surprise me though to see him so upset that day.'

'What day?'

'The day before he died. I came down from seeing to the mistress and found him sitting at the table. He had a piece of metal in his hands and was turning it over and over between his fingers. When he saw me, he smiled but he looked so… upset. I asked him what the matter was and he said something like, "this is the last you will see of me, child. I leave here tomorrow morning." I thought maybe he'd been let go by the master or something.'

'He told you he was leaving? And he was killed before he left?'

Abigail nodded again, her eyes full of tears. 'I went to his lodge the morning after to say my goodbyes. And I found him… dead. Torn and bloodied. Like a rabbit savaged by a hound.'

The girl began to cry and Alana held her for a moment. 'It's all right, Abigail, it's all right. Don't cry.'

'Killed outright. I had his blood on my hands! I only went to say goodbye and return what he'd left in the kitchen.'

'What he left? What did he leave?'

'That piece of metal he was turning over in his hands. It was a necklace. Gold, very pretty. A large circle of gold hung from it, decorated in beautiful jewels. Expensive-looking it was. I thought maybe he'd stolen it from the mistress and that he'd been caught. But it wasn't. Before he left, he said to me "you're a good girl, keep a hold of this for me. Take care of it, girl. Promise me." And I did!'

Abigail dissolved into tears again. Alana had her arms around her, letting the girl cry. So, Van Garrett had given the chain to Abigail to look after. Had he known he would be killed? Had he double-crossed the Brethren and forfeited his life? Or had he been true to her uncle all along and paid the price for his loyalty? They would never truly know.

'Abigail… Abigail… I need to ask you something. Do you still have the necklace?'

The girl nodded her head.

**In the **bedchamber, Reverend Elias was preparing for his exorcism. He took from his bag a large cross on a chain and a vial of holy water and placed them on the table. He also took a sash from the bag, kissed it and placed it around his neck. The evil that was in this house would soon be gone…

From behind him the wood panel began to warp and creak as the Lanuthone brought itself out from the wall. It scuttled through the panel on all fours and then drew itself up to its full height. It saw the clergyman. Snarling, it advanced.

Reverend Elias turned around to see the creature, tall and screaming above him, dagger-clawed hand raised ready to attack. He grabbed the cross from the table, showing it to the monster, yelling 'back, demon, back! Give place, abominable creature, give way, you monster, give way to Christ!'

The Lanuthone simply knocked the cross from Elias' hand and sent it spinning across the floor. Elias grasped for the holy water but, before he could throw some on the creature, the Lanuthone had grabbed him around the throat, sharp claws digging into the skin.

Elias looked into the Lanuthone's burning evil eyes and screamed the last scream he would ever scream.

**In the **parlour, both Patrick and the Doctor heard Elias' scream. They bolted up the stairs. From the kitchen, Alana and Abigail joined them. All four stood dumbstruck at the chamber door, regarding the flayed and excoriated body of the dead clergyman.

From Erica's bedroom, another scream came. Patrick ran in to the room to see his wife. She was in an advanced stage of labour.

Alana turned to Abigail and said 'the necklace. Where is it now?'

'It's… it's in my quarters' the girl answered.

'Please can you fetch it for me?' Alana asked.

'Why?'

'We believe- the Doctor and I- that it is the necklace that has brought these… evil spirits into the house' Alana said.

Abigail looked shocked. 'Really?'

'Yes. Now please fetch it for us. We may need it in order to vanquish these spirits.'

The girl nodded and headed downstairs. The Doctor looked at Alana and smiled. 'I think you're getting the hang of it now.'

'Van Garrett left it to her before he was killed. Probably by the Lanuthones. I don't think he was working for the Brethren though. I think he was loyal to my uncle.'

'He most probably was' the Doctor replied.

For a moment there was silence and then, suddenly, sweetly, came the sound of a crying baby. The Doctor and Alana looked at one another and smiled.

Patrick opened the door to the chamber. 'It's a girl!'

The Doctor and Alana raced to him, the Doctor shaking his hand and Alana hugging him. The two of them went into the chamber, where Erica lay on the bed, exhausted, the child wrapped and laying on her mother's chest.

The Doctor smiled and said 'Congratulations. She's beautiful, Mrs. De Vries.'

'Thank you,' Erica said. 'You must be the Doctor. Patrick has told me about you.'

'Well…' the Doctor began.

From the corner of the room, Alana saw the panel begin to contort and she yelled out. 'Doctor! Look!'

The Doctor turned to the corner to see the Lanuthones emerging. All three in the hunting party converged in the room, the Chief in front, the two lieutenants behind. The three of them roared and snarled.

The Doctor held the heliothon crystal out and the three Lanuthones stopped momentarily. Keeping his eyes on the alien intruders, the Doctor placed the crystal on the floor before the bed then stood behind it.

'You will not pass me! You will not harm this mother and child! You will leave this place and not return!' the Doctor yelled.

'We… want… _blood_!' screamed the Chief Lanuthone.

'Well, you're not getting theirs. So back off!' the Doctor replied.

Into the room came Abigail, holding the Presidential chain of office. She handed it to Alana and then screamed when she saw the Lanuthones. One of the lieutenants looked at Abigail and snarled.

The Doctor pulled the sonic screwdriver from his pocket and held it out at the Chief Lanuthone. 'You have bothered these people enough. I tell you to leave!'

The Chief Lanuthone roared and lashed out at the Doctor, the sharp claws catching the Doctor's arm. The Doctor's knees bent and he dropped his arm, wincing as the wound began to drip.

He righted himself and stood tall again and the Chief Lanuthone attacked again, slashing the Doctor's chest.

'I TELL YOU TO LEAVE!' the Doctor yelled and pressed a button on the screwdriver.

A powerful beam of electrical energy pulsed from the screwdriver, hitting the Chief Lanuthone squarely between the eyes. The Lanuthones began to convulse and shake and howl before the energy became too much and all three of them disintegrated into a cloud of dust and particles.

The Doctor stood, breathing heavily, watching the particles swirl in the air before collapsing to the floor.

**An hour **later and the Doctor came to. He was lying in a comfortable bed and his wounds had been dressed. The crystal and the chain of office lay on the bedside table. He opened his eyes to see Alana sitting on the bed, looking concerned. She smiled when she saw he was awake.

'Hello' he said.

'Thank goodness for that,' she replied. 'I thought you had died.'

'Oh, no, I've got a few regenerations left in me yet. You don't get rid of me that easily. How are Mr. and Mrs. De Vries?'

'More grateful than you could possibly imagine. Their little girl is beautiful.'

The Doctor smiled. 'Has there been any activity since?'

'None. The Lanuthones have been disposed of. The house is at peace.'

The Doctor looked at the table. 'I assume we can take the chain with us.'

'Yes. Abigail told me when we were looking after you that she didn't want to see it again, knowing the ugliness it had caused. Funny, she said that Van Garrett had told her someone might be coming for it. I had to talk myself out of that corner.'

'You're learning, my dear. I think I have rested enough. We need to be on our way.'

**After exchanging **salutations with the grateful new parents and Abigail, the Doctor and Alana began the walk back to the TARDIS, the chain of office safe in their possession. As they got to the field, a small carriage passed them and headed up the hill to Jesmond House.

From the carriage emerged a portly short fellow accompanied by a plain, thin, pinch-faced woman. He consulted a letter and looked at the house. The woman knocked on the door, and Abigail answered.

'Oh, good afternoon, miss. Is Mr. Patrick De Vries at home?'

'He is, sir, but I'm not sure he wishes to be disturbed. Mrs. De Vries has had her child just this morning.'

'I think he would appreciate seeing my, my girl. We have made a long journey to get here.'

Abigail looked puzzled. 'As you wish, sir. I shall call him. Who shall I say is calling?'

'Tell him that his correspondents from London have arrived. This is Miss Wainwright… and I am the Doctor.'


	4. Running The Gauntlet

**Author's note and disclaimer:** Due to illness and lack of time, this has been longer in coming than I expected. I do apologise, but I hope you enjoy it. This is a more action-based story; the storyline is an amalgamation of various sources. I've always been fascinated by the myths of ancient Greece and Rome and so decided to pay homage to them in the trials. Other points of inspiration come from the TV shows _Gladiators _and _American Gladiators, _the book _Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire _and the film version of _The Running Man_. I have included references to previous 'classic' and newer _Doctor Who _stories. Again, this is because I'm a big geek! I don't own any rights whatsoever to _Doctor Who_ (I wish I did). All characters- apart from the Doctor- are mine.

CHAPTER FOUR: RUNNING THE GAUNTLET 

**The screen **was black for several moments before a triumphant flourish of trumpets sounded and a picture of columns and a flight of stone steps against a perfect deep blue sky faded in.

A sonorous voiceover broke in. 'Ten are called yet only one can claim the prize.'

The camera swept majestically up the steps to the top where a pedestal that had a beautiful ceremonial diadem on it was placed, surrounded by a smiling man and a smiling women dressed in white robes.

The camera lingered on the diadem for a while before the voiceover came in again. 'The Gauntlet.'

The image froze and the Doctor jabbed his finger at the screen. 'There it is.'

Alana squinted at the screen then looked at the Emissary's journal. Her face crumbled into a look of despair. 'How are we ever going to get hold of that now? The sceptre was one thing; it's just going to leave a small gap in Lady Grey's collection. This is the prize of an interplanetary contest that is going to broadcast across the known galaxies.'

'I know' said the Doctor, leaning over the console, staring at the screen intently.

Alana slammed the Emissary's journal shut. 'How did it end up as the top prize for the tournament? My uncle claims he left it with an antique vendor on Marinus.'

'I would imagine someone from the show visited the Marinan vendor, saw the crown and decided they wanted it,' the Doctor said, continuing to study the screen. 'They probably offered the vendor an exorbitant amount and they saw money before keeping their word. It's not the first time it's happened.'

As the Doctor straightened himself up, he winced then let out a sharp cry of pain. Alana placed a hand on his shoulder. 'Doctor! Are you alright?'

'Fine. Just a flesh wound,' he smiled. 'Those Lanuthones are vicious creatures, I'll give them that. It's more my chest than my arm now.'

'Where is this Gauntlet contest taking place?' Alana asked.

'On the planet Apriorri IX. They move it contest to contest.' the Doctor said.

'Right. Can we make a quick detour before we go there?'

'Of course we can. Where would you like to go?'

'Oh. Ancient Greece, perhaps. Any outpost of the Roman Empire. Somewhere like that.'

The Doctor looked at Alana. 'Why? What have you got planned?'

'We just get a replacement for the diadem- moreover an authentic Greco-Roman one- and swap it before the show broadcasts.'

The Doctor smiled. 'You cunning little thing.'

Suddenly, there was a loud siren call from the TARDIS control panel. The Doctor looked into the corner of the console room.

'I think that plan may have to be put on hold.'

**In a **darkened room, many miles away, the same image that the Doctor and Alana were poring over cast a bluish hue across the faces of the two men looking at it, an older man, sat in a chair and a younger one that stood.

'It's been confirmed, Excellency. That _is_ the genuine Gallifreyan coronation diadem.'

'Indeed. I had suspected as much,' the older man said. 'Is Vypaari ready?'

'He has his instructions. He is already in place.'

'Good, good. And what about…?'

'His invitation is about to be delivered.'

The older man smiled, a thin rictus. 'Most good. Ah, I think we may need a word with that Emissary. See to it, would you?'

A sadistic grin came on the face of the younger man. 'As you wish, excellency.'

'No harm must come to him, though. Be sure of that. We may yet need him. Is that understood?'

The disappointment on the younger man's face was apparent. 'Yes, sir.'

The older man dismissed him with a curt 'you may go' and a wave of the hand. After the younger man had gone, he sat there for a while still staring at the screen. The diadem would soon be his- and the Emissary would be good enough to share the location of the other artifacts with him. Well, he would… if he valued his life.

'**Now, then. **listen to me,' the Doctor yelled. 'This TARDIS is completely protected. Nobody and nothing gets in here without my say-so. How did you get in?'

The small robot that sat in the corner of the console room simply bleeped twice.

'That's not even a proper answer!,' the Doctor seemed outraged. 'What are you doing here?'

The small robot bleeped again before shrinking down to a small size and then opening a small flap that was on his back. A blinding yellowish-white light poured from the robot, which then formed itself into the shape of a young woman.

'Congratulations! You have been chosen! Bring your wit, your cunning, your agility and your strength to the planet Apriorri IX by sundown twenty-four hours hence. You will need them all to face… the Gauntlet!'

The light dissipated, the robot reformed itself, bleeped again and then produced a piece of paper. The Doctor, still wincing in pain, moved forward and picked up the paper.

'What does it say, Doctor?'

'It's a list of rules. Apparently, if we do not comply with this order to appear by the appointed time- unless we contact the organizers via the robot- that robot will self-destruct with a force of twelve megatons.'

'What? So if we don't go and face the Gauntlet, they'll wipe us out?'

'Seems like it. It's the Game Station all over again. It goes on to say that when we reach the planet, only the chosen applicant may enter the Gauntlet arena. Any additional passengers must be left behind but will be given complimentary access to view their contestant's progress. No weapons of any description, no devices and no communications tools either.'

'That's a pretty stringent list. Anything else?'

'Yes. In the event of the death of the contestant, any next of kin or supporters have no right of redress to sue the Gauntlet's owners and operators.'

'Even though we haven't chosen to do this? That's awful!'

'Do you want to know what's really awful, Alana? The advert states, "Only one can claim the prize". I've a sinking feeling that means that the other nine die in the attempt.'

Alana looked at the Doctor, at the small robot, at the frozen crown on the monitor then back to the Doctor.

'Then it'll have to be me that does it.'

'What? You can't!'

'I have to. You're injured, there's no way you'll be able to survive. The Lanuthone attack has weakened you.'

'Your uncle is half-blind. He needs you. I can't let you put yourself in danger.'

'You don't get a choice, Doctor. I'm not a little girl. I'm not some fragile thing that needs to be cosseted and protected. My uncle charged me with the task of helping you to retrieve the six items. That is what I'm doing. Besides, neither of us was named in the invitation. One of us has to do it. And it's _going_ to be me.'

**Some hours **later, the TARDIS began descending towards Apriorri IX. On the view screen, the Doctor could see a vast area that had been walled in and covered, with a gigantic mountain being terraformed at its centre.

'I don't like it. It smacks too much of the Death Zone' the Doctor muttered darkly.

'The Death Zone?'

'Hm. The hidden shame of Gallifrey. In the time before Rassilon, the Time Lords would use the forbidden method of time-scooping to draw monsters from all over the known galaxy to fight within the Death Zone for our own amusement. I'm sure they wouldn't have found it so funny if they'd ended up in there fighting for their own existence. I certainly didn't. But then I was never an advocate of the Death Zone anyway. But this is being broadcast across the galaxies for entertainment.'

Alana paused. 'People will be watching us fight? Watching us die?'

'They will. There will be people you've never met hoping you meet your last at the hands of whatever foul and manipulative tasks they have in there for you.'

Alana blenched slightly. 'That's horrendous.'

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. 'Indeed it is. The Varosians used to broadcast executions but only on their own planet. This is taking it one step further.'

'Then perhaps I should hope for a quick and painless death but expect the opposite' Alana said, sounding scared for the first time since mentioning her plans to enter the Gauntlet.

The Doctor clasped her shoulders and looked squarely into her eyes. 'You should be expecting that you come out on top, with the diadem on your head, triumphant. Which you will be. I have faith in you.'

Alana smiled.

There was a bump as the TARDIS landed and the robot began bleeping again and spat out another piece of paper before beginning to shake violently. Alana went to the little automaton.

It had shrunk down again but this time had seemed to turn itself inside out and become a small round silver talisman, which sat on top of the new piece of paper.

The piece of paper simply read: 'Please pick up the talisman and follow any and all further instructions'.

Alana picked up the robot talisman in both hands. It got very hot very quickly before opening up and giving another blast of yellowish-white light which seared Alana's eyes and she had to look away. Eventually the light formed itself into a smaller version of the young woman who had appeared to issue the invitation.

'Welcome, Alana,' the young woman in the light said. 'I am Sibylla LeGrange, and congratulations on being chosen for the four-hundredth-and-twenty-first Gauntlet! You are entrant number eight. Please make your way to the green pavilion and the Gauntlet will begin shortly, remembering to take this talisman with you. Your companion must stay inside your vessel but he will be granted full and exclusive access to your stream so he can monitor your progress. Good luck and may the Gods be with you through these tests.'

The light faded and the talisman cooled. Alana looked aghast. 'How… how did it know my name?'

'Perhaps the robotic talisman acts as a DNA reader? I'm not sure. It's advanced technology, that's for sure.'

The two of them stood for a moment, the air pregnant with unspoken conversations. She had crossed that bridge now; it was burning and he couldn't take her place, much as he wanted to, wounds and all. She was scared, afraid of a painful and meaningless death that would be turned into a cheap entertainment.

Eventually all that was said was 'I'd better go', a solemn 'good luck' before a tight embrace and the TARDIS doors opening for Alana to step out into the Gauntlet alone.

**In the **darkened room, the older man in the chair glared daggers at the screen ahead of him. His nostrils flared and his lip curled. Where was The Doctor? His name was nowhere to be seen amongst the list of contestants for Gauntlet 421. Had he been failed? Had the invitation not been given? And if it were, was the Doctor so stupid as to sacrifice himself in a twelve-megaton explosion? No, no… the Gallifreyan was a cunning and quick creature; he was known of old. Besides, there had been no reports of detonations recently. Could he have disguised himself? That would be impossible- the preliminary scans would pick up on any assimilation or processing. Could he have sent someone in his place? An associate? The Gallifreyan was known to travel with companions, male and female, humanoid and alien. On the last inquiry made mere days before though, he was travelling alone. A quick investigation revealed that the human female Donna Noble, the Doctor's last known travelling companion, was not one of the ten called. The older man thumped the arm of his chair and sighed in frustration.

'Where are you, Doctor?'

**Alana looked **around the green pavilion at her fellow contestants. She had just been scanned to ensure of no assimilation- the organisers needed to check that she was the person who had picked up the talisman and not another creature disguised as her or that she was not trying to cheat by absorbing elements of other beings- and the number 8 had been laser-imprinted on her upper left arm.

Outside the pavilion, she could hear the murmuring voices of the crowd. Before the scan, they had all been told that the first task would take place in the main arena before the audience. The following tasks would take place within the newly terraformed Gauntlet area that would be revealed after the first task.

Her nine other contestants all looked humanoid- two arms, two legs, one head- which she supposed made it fairer. Had a six-legged creature been allowed in, they would have an unfair advantage in any tests of speed. They had all been kitted out in loose sleeveless robes, white for the women and sky-blue for the men.

Only one of her fellow contestants- a young man, shorter than her, with spiked blonde hair and a red lightning bolt seared across the left side of his face- had spoken to her. Others had nodded, smiled shyly or just plain ignored her. But this one, number five, whose real name was Allador, had not only introduced himself but actually wished her good luck.

'OK, contestants,' came a voice from the other side of the pavilion. 'Please line up in order and we'll be ready to take you out into the arena and the Gauntlet will begin.'

The voice came from a short round man with white hair, dressed in a yellow robe that had various black markings all over it. A short pair of pince-nez balanced on his nose. Alana stifled a giggle; he looked quite ridiculous.

As they lined up, she caught Allador's eye and he gestured towards the man with his head then pulled a funny face. She nodded and grinned in response. He smiled back and then winked at her.

A flourish of trumpets sounded, the old man said 'Contestants, it is time to face the Gauntlet. Good luck and may the Gods be with you.'

One by one, the ten contestants began to file their way out in preparation for the first task.

'**Good evening **to you all and welcome to Gauntlet 421! The planet Apriorri IX is the venue for this, our most intense and exciting series of tasks ever,' the colour commentator announced as the cameras began rolling. 'The ten contestants, pulled from all across the galaxy, are assembled in the main arena ready for the trials to begin!'

In the arena, the ten contestants stood in a line, the sand beneath their feet, waiting. From before them, a blinding flash of light came from the sand and formed into the vision of the young woman who had invited them.

'Welcome, contestants. I am Sibylla, your guide for the five trials. Our first task is a new one that has never been used in any previous Gauntlets. It will test your trueness and worth.'

The hologram figure of Sibylla turned around and raised a hand. From beneath the sands came a large stone statue of three male figures, crowned and dressed in judicial robes. Each of the figures held a long sceptre, the end of which glowed.

'Contestants… this is your first task. The Three Judges!'

The collected audience in the arena clapped and cheered. Alana looked at them and at the skeletal harsh carved faces of the statues. She glanced at her fellow contestants. None of the others looked scared; one, a young girl with the palest skin Alana had ever seen with large black circles going down her right arm, looked bemused.

Sibylla turned to face the contestants. 'In ancient times, the judges Minos, Aeacus and Rhadamanthus would judge the souls in Hades to assess their worth. We ask them to do the same now to each of you. They will judge you worthy or unworthy to continue in the trials. In turn, each of you will stand before the judges and await their verdict. Contestant number one.'

The first contestant walked up to the statues and stood before them. Suddenly the statues moved, lowering their scepters to touch the man's head. The scepters were raised and an ungodly voice rumbled from the statues. 'Worthy.'

The man's relief was palpable as he was ushered to one side. Contestants two and three were also found worthy and joined the first contestant.

Contestant four- the pale girl with the black circles on her arm- stood before the statues. The scepters touched her head but they were not raised. Instead three streams of fire came shooting from the sceptres' end, immolating the girl on the spot. Amid her tortured screams, the verdict came. 'Unworthy!'

When all that was left of the girl was ashes, the scepters were raised, allowing contestant five- Allador- to be judged. Unsurprisingly, he was found worthy.

Entrant six was also found worthy, but contestant seven- the one before Alana- was deemed unworthy and cremated on the spot. The holographic Sibylla called forward 'Contestant number eight'. Steeling herself, Alana stepped towards the statues.

Disconcerted that she could still feel the smouldering remains of the unworthy contestant beneath her feet, Alana swallowed hard as she felt the three stone scepters touch her head. For a sickening second, she thought she would be immolated. _But I'm worthy! _she wanted to scream. The scepters were raised and she was indeed declared to be 'worthy'.

Contestant nine was declared worthy but ten was not. As the remains of contestant ten still smoked on the parched arena floor, the statues descended back beneath the sands.

'My congratulations to the remaining contestants. You have been proved worthy and will move on to the second trial. Please move into the terraformed arena where there will be refreshments before task two begins' Sibylla said before vanishing.

Relieved not to be burned alive, the seven contestants made their way across the arena floor to await the news of their second task.

**Watching from **the TARDIS, the Doctor was not fazed by this first trial. To be judged on worthiness was never going to be a task that Alana would fail. They had only been travelling together a short while, but he knew she was true of heart or worthy or whatever arbitrary quality the judges decided meant that the contestants would keep their life. He did wonder though why those three had been labelled unworthy? Was there something to the judges' decision? Could they really tell if a person could be deemed fit to live or not? Such theological or philosophical musings would have to wait, the Doctor decided. There were still more tasks ahead, and Alana may not be as lucky the next time…

**In the **terraformed arena, goblets of water were handed to the seven remaining contestants to slake their thirst before embarking on the second trial. Alana had managed to get to talk to Allador as they rested.

'I cannot believe this! It's barbaric!' Alana said.

'It certainly is. I've never seen anything quite like it. I've seen a man killed for wrongdoing against the law, but never once have I seen someone be burned to death and broadcast across the stars' he said.

'So you'd never seen the Gauntlet before? Never heard of it?'

Allador smiled. 'No. I'm a farm worker from Narcissa Minora. We're kind of isolated and left to ourselves. I was surprised to find the talisman, embedded in the sorghum fields. My parents thought this would be a good thing for me. They didn't know.'

Alana had an urge to hug him. Suddenly he seemed so young. Almost despite herself, she put a hand to his arm. He looked at her and smiled.

The old man in yellow entered the room and cleared his throat. 'Ladies and gentlemen, we are ready for you now. Please leave the goblets here and assemble yourselves in number order. Your second trial lies behind the silver door yonder. Good luck and may the gods be with you.'

Allador placed his goblet down, winked at Alana then got into place. The silver door was thrown open and the seven of them filed through, ready to face the second trial.

**The silver **door opened on to a massive chamber that extended more than a mile wide. It had a high vaulted ceiling that was reflective and had ten stone walkways that led from one side of the room to the other.

In a flash of light, Sibylla LeGrange appeared again. 'Contestants, please take your positions in number order, leaving the appropriate gaps.'

The seven contestants lined up. Alana looked over at Allador who smiled and mouthed 'good luck'. Alana looked at the pathway. She wasn't going to need luck. This looked easy. _Almost too easy…_

'Contestants… this is your second task. Medusa's Walk!'

Alana felt her stomach constrict. She knew it couldn't be that easy.

'The task is simple enough. You must get from this side of the room to the other, by using the walkways provided. I warn you though… do not look up. Good luck!'

Sibylla vanished as there was a loud rumble as the walkways began to shift and move. Further to that, the mirrored ceiling was pulled away to reveal the leering, snarling face of a Gorgon, snakes twisting and hissing for hair and a malevolent look in her stone-grey eyes.

'You can't look at the Gorgon. She'll turn you into stone. You can't look at the Gorgon. She'll turn you into stone,' Alana repeated to herself, mantra-like, before dropping on all fours. 'If I crawl and keep my head level, I can see the path ahead. Here's hoping.'

As she began to crawl, she noticed many of her fellow contestants doing the same. Contestant number one however had decided to make a dash for it. He had got a quarter of the way across the room before the path ahead of him shifted and he stopped. Unfortunately he also looked up.

The Gorgon hissed and stared at the man who screamed and tried to avert his gaze by putting his hands before his eyes, but it was too late. He was cast into stone on the path, forever frozen in fear.

Continuing her mantra, not daring to raise her eyes beyond what she could see already, Alana found that, even with the shifting of the walkways, she was able to make slow but steady progress. Already, two contestants were ahead of her.

Alana was two-thirds across the room when she heard a sharp trumpet blast. It took all her willpower and strength not to look up. Sibylla's voice came echoing through the cavern. 'Contestant two has made it across the causeway!'

_Lucky her_, Alana thought. All she could hear in the room was the grinding and rolling of the walkways as they shifted and the occasional hiss or growl from the airborne Medusa.

With only a quarter of the way to go, the trumpet sounded again and Sibylla announced that contestant five had also made it to the other side. Alana smiled and began to crawl quicker, hoping that she could make it across herself.

From behind her, another scream echoed through the cavern as she saw contestant nine being petrified as he looked too high and caught the baleful gaze of the Gorgon.

Alana gauged she had maybe twenty yards left before she could make it to the other side. She could see the legs of the contestants that had made it. As she moved forward, Sibylla announced that contestant three had also made it across.

_That just leaves me and one other_, Alana thought as she manoeuvered herself across the moving walkway.

From above, there came a loud roar and the Gorgon spoke. 'These stones shall break!'

Alana swallowed hard. She could feel the stones beneath her hands shake and begin to crumble. She would have to speed up to get across before the causeway gave way beneath her and she plummeted into the dark…

From behind her, she could hear the stones crack and fall. She scrambled across the remaining walkway, mere steps away from the other platform. In desperation, she began to scrabble as quickly as she could across the walkway, ignoring the pain in her hands and knees, and then threw herself forward, hoping to reach the other side…

As she jumped forward, she could feel herself being caught by a pair of strong arms. She could feel solid ground beneath her feet and looked up at her saviour.

'I've got you. Don't worry' Allador smiled at her. She returned his valour with a tight hug.

Contestant two yelled at the remaining entrant- number six- to hurry up and get across. Unfortunately, she was too slow and the causeway gave way beneath her. Her final scream pierced the air and faded as she fell. The mirrored surface was pulled back into place to stop the Gorgon turning anyone else into stone.

Sibylla appeared again. 'My congratulations to the remaining contestants. You have one again been proved worthy and will move on to the third trial. Please continue through the gold door. Again there will be refreshments before you move on.'

Out of breath, her left knee bleeding and still holding on to Allador, Alana took a final look across the gaping chasm before following the others through.

**The older **man in the chair watched these proceedings with interest. Vypaari was doing well. But that was only to be expected. But an eye would have to be kept on the lightning-branded boy and the dark-haired girl. They could cause trouble. No matter. The path would split from hereon in and only the wisest and strongest would or could survive. And neither the lightning-branded boy nor the dark-haired girl looked as if they had vast reserves of either wisdom or strength. If things went as expected, Vypaari would be the sole claimant of the diadem. That was the plan, at least.

**In the **antechamber where the four remaining contestants had something to drink and tended to any wounds, there was precious little talk. Already six had gone by the wayside, incinerated, petrified and fallen. And that was only the first two tasks! What further diabolical plans could they have in store?

After a little while, the man in yellow robes came into the room. 'Contestant two. Step forward.'

The woman, seemingly ageless but with flowing silver hair and dark red eyes, walked towards the man in yellow.

'As the first contestant to successfully cross Medusa's Walk, the first choice is yours. In the following chamber, you will be given a choice of ten keys. Pick one and one only, go to the corresponding door and follow the path you find. Good luck and may the gods go with you.'

The woman turned to the three left, regarded them all with a look and said 'Best of luck' before disappearing through the door.

Allador turned to Alana. 'The next task must be an individual one. I don't know what it could be. It could be anything. Fight a monster with your bare hands, I don't know.'

'You look like you'd be OK at that. Those muscular arms and all' Alana said.

Allador blushed. 'Farmwork's physical. Guess it'll stand me in good stead if I do have to wring a creature's neck.'

The man in yellow came back in. 'Contestant number five. Please step forward.'

Allador stepped forward and was given the same speech as the silver-haired woman. He turned to Alana and the other contestant and said 'good luck', hugging Alana and offering his hand to the other man who had stood sullenly silent.

The other man gave him an icy glare, causing Allador to lower his hand before he disappeared behind the door.

Alana looked at her fellow contestant, number three. She had not paid him much heed before now. He was tall and powerfully built with a cruel curl to his lip and hard, arrogant eyes. His right arm was tattooed with an arcane symbol. He stood, silent, leaning against the wall of the antechamber. Alana could feel the vibes from him. He did not want to be approached. He did not want to be friendly. He wanted to be left alone to win this contest.

The man in yellow came back in. 'Contestant number three. Please step forward.'

Again, the same speech was given. Number three did not even look back at Alana, no 'good luck', nothing. He simply stalked out of the room.

**From the **TARDIS, the Doctor was watching Alana intently. She had done so well to survive the last task. He had to admit that he wasn't sure how well he'd have done if he'd had to face the Gorgon. He'd probably be stone by now. Or even regenerated. _How would that work… _he wondered. He was shaken from his reverie by noticing the fellow who had been standing with Alana. That mark on his arm. The tattoo. He felt like it should mean something to him. But what? That shape was distinctive- a vesica that had mysterious symbols in each portion of the two circles. Why did that matter? Where had he seen it? He had seen it, and recently, and not just on that man's arm.

He picked up the Emissary's ledger and began to flick through it. Towards the back of the book, he saw that same symbol etched into the page.

Beneath it were written the words 'The Brethren of Osterand'.

**Alone in **the antechamber, Alana took the time to just close her eyes and try to relax. She had overcome the first two trials. She didn't know how many there were left. All she knew was that she could only try her hardest and her best. And if that led to a grotesque death broadcast to however many planets, so be it. Was the Doctor watching her? Would her uncle be proud if he knew what she was doing?

The door opened, the man in yellow came in and gave her the spiel. She nodded and followed him into the next room.

The room was semi-circular in shape. Ten different exits lined the outside of the semi-circle. Three of them were open. Seven remained locked. Large flaming torches were interspersed around the room, but two were missing from their braziers.

The hologram of Sibylla stood by a tall wooden table. 'Contestant, welcome. Please select one of the remaining keys to select your path to the next trial.'

She looked at the keys, all identical, iron, rusted and thick. There were no numbers to choose from, no colours, nothing. She reached for a key and picked it up.

'That key corresponds to the second door on the right. Please unlock it and follow the path round. I shall be waiting for you to explain the third task.'

Sibylla disappeared and Alana unlocked the door. It swung open and she stood there for a moment, contemplating whether or not to take the torch with her. There didn't seem to be anything stopping her from doing it, she wasn't decreed not to take it. Taking the torch from the brazier by the door, she stepped through.

The path was dark and she was pleased to have taken the light. After walking what seemed like ten minutes or more, she came across a large round room. The exit to the room was across from her, but her way was blocked by an odd-looking chimeric creature with the face of a woman, yet the body of a lion, the tail of a snake and the wings of an eagle. It sat upright, almost serene, eyes closed.

Suddenly Sibylla appeared and the creature's eyes snapped open. 'Contestant… this is your third task. The Riddle Of The Sphinx!'

The sphinx's mouth did not move and yet it spoke, in a breathy whisper. '_I am the Sphinx of legend. Who seeks to pass by me?'_

'Um… me. I… I do' Alana said, nervous of this strange looking creature.

'_Very well. Solve the riddle that I give you and you will pass with my blessing. You may answer only once. If that answer is not correct… I shall strangle you. Is that understood?'_

'Yes… yes, it is.'

'_Then heed my riddle and heed it well: _

_I am at the beginning of eternity and at the end of time;_

_You will find me in everything, but not in nothing;_

_Twice in defeat yet nought in victory._

_What am I?'_

Alana stood silent for a moment, thinking it through. _Eternity, time… could it be God? That would fit in with the next part too. But what about the final bit? You would surely find God in victory, not defeat. So perhaps it isn't that…_ Suddenly what seemed like the right answer hit her.

'You are the letter e.'

The Sphinx was silent for a moment and then breathed. _'That is correct. Pass by with my blessing.'_

The Sphinx vanished, leaving the pathway clear and a large ceremonial gold and jewel-encrusted dagger in its place.

'Congratulations on passing the third task!' Sibylla bubbled. 'I can tell you that one of your fellow contestants has failed. She did not get her question correct. Which leaves three. Please take the dagger. You will need it for your fourth trial.'

Sibylla disappeared again. Alana stooped to pick up the dagger. Three left… but the fallen contestant is a 'she'. The silver-haired woman… which meant that Allador was still alive! Alana allowed herself a smile as she continued along the path.

'**The Brethren **of Osterand' the Doctor said, watching Alana continue down her track. This was bad news. A member of the Brethren was one of the ten contestants. Not only was he one of the ten contestants, but he was now one of the three remaining contestants, along with Alana and the boy with the lightning-bolt on his face. The Doctor refused to believe that it would be coincidence that a member of the Brethren could be picked as a member at the same time that his TARDIS was infiltrated and the invitation dropped off. He also refused to believe that a member of the Brethren- if they were as insidious and evil as the Emissary painted them- could be deemed 'worthy' enough to continue. He had a sinking feeling that the entire tournament had been a trap. However, he'd let Alana walk straight into it…

**Sibylla's hologram **was waiting for Alana in front of a small wooden door which had a tiny set of steel bars embedded in it as a window. There was something glowing and flickering inside the chamber, but there was also something breathing in there. She could hear the deep, panting breaths of… something not human. Alana felt real fear constrict her heart as she looked past Sibylla to the door.

'Contestant… this is your fourth task. The Lair Of The Minotaur!'

'Minotaur?' Alana asked, panicked.

'In the chamber ahead is a Minotaur, a scion of that great beast held in the Labyrinth of Crete. Around its neck is the key to getting out of the chamber. You must use whatever skill and cunning you have to remove the key and claim your freedom. Channel the spirit of Theseus and good luck.'

Sibylla vanished as the door opened. Steeling herself, Alana stepped forward.

The room was large, with straw all over the floor. The exit glimmered beneath the torchlight on the walls, a large padlock gleamed on the door. On the floor by the door was a large sledgehammer, one side of the hammer dull with dried blood.

Alana swallowed her fear down and looked at the beast she had to defeat. The Minotaur was huge. Its body was large and muscular, sinewy and powerful. The bull head was large with sharp, lethal horns. It snorted and growled. Alana looked down at the ceremonial dagger. _Fat lot of good this is going to do me, _Alana thought. _They may as well have given me a pea-shooter._

The door behind her slammed shut and the Minotaur swung round, to look at its prey. It bellowed loudly and charged towards her.

Alana ducked the Minotaur's massive bulk and threw herself across the room, out of harm's way. It skidded, almost hit into the wall and then turned again, lumbering across the room.

Whilst incredibly powerful, it was nonetheless a cumbersome and lumbering beast. Alana was smaller, thinner, quicker… and shorter. When drawn to full height, any blows the Minotaur tried to rain down upon her could be easily avoided.

After several minutes of charging round the room, the Minotaur obviously decided that enough was enough. It went over to the sledgehammer and picked it up.

Alana gasped as the beast wielded the hammer and nearly brought it down upon her head. She quickly darted out of the way. The Minotaur yelled in frustration and swung the hammer again, narrowly missing her head. She could feel the breeze caused as the hammer passed her head.

As she scrabbled across the floor, the Minotaur kicked her hard in the chest. Alana fell back, winded and in pain. She leaned against the wall, hand to her chest, trying to breathe.

In one movement, the Minotaur lifted the hammer above his head, ready to bring it crashing down upon Alana and silence her forever.

Alana saw the beast with its hands raised above its head, its massive slab of a chest exposed. Using all her strength, as the hammer began its descent, she rammed the dagger up towards the Minotaur's chest, impaling it.

The Minotaur dropped the hammer and yelled in pain. As it was nearly bent double, the dagger still embedded in its chest, Alana grabbed the silver key from around its neck and ran to the door, unlocking it.

No sooner had she slammed the door to the Minotaur's chamber behind her than Sibylla appeared again.

'Congratulations upon surviving your encounter with the Minotaur. You have proven yourself in strength, in cunning, in wisdom and agility. After a brief respite, you will face your fifth and final task. Continue forward to the next antechamber where you will be attended to.'

Exhausted, aching, her chest still painful and with Minotaur blood on her hands, Alana could barely muster the energy to continue down the path.

**As Alana **was facing the Minotaur, the Doctor could barely watch. Seeing her being beaten and kicked and nearly decimated by a sledgehammer-wielding bull creature was too much. It should be him there, getting seven bells knocked out of him, not her. But the hologram had told her that the next task was the last one. The diadem was within her reach. He just hoped that she would be able to get it. He wouldn't mind betting who her opponent would be in the final showdown…

**Even after **washing her hands thoroughly, Alana could still feel the blood on her hands. She had no idea whether she'd killed the creature or just wounded it, but even so… it went against all that she believed. _But it was hurt or be hurt, kill or be killed, _a voice inside told her. That didn't matter; she still felt sickened at what she had had to do.

Nonetheless, she felt rested. Her chest had stopped aching, although a physician had told her to expect a bruise. She was refreshed and ready to face the final task.

The odd little man in yellow robes came into the chamber.

'When you are ready, miss, I will take you to the final trial. Your opponent is waiting on his side. Please, hurry.'

Opponent. Singular. But who? Allador, or that other man? The arrogant, ignorant one? _And why does that even matter,_ she thought. _It's down to the wire. Do or die time. It's him- whoever he is- against me, and the diadem is at stake._ That is what she had come here for- to retrieve the diadem. For the Doctor, and for her uncle.

She got up from the bench upon which she had been sitting.

'I'm ready. Lead on.'

**A flourish **of trumpets signaled Alana's entrance into the arena for the final task. She could not believe what she was seeing.

She was standing at the base of a gigantic mountain, many metres tall, so tall in fact that she could only just make out the top of it.

Sibylla's voice rang out across the sky. 'Contestants… this is your fifth and final task. Olympus!'

A rumble of thunder sounded overhead. Alana looked pensive.

'The home of the Gods and your final destination. The prize sits atop the mountain, waiting for one of you to claim it. Whichever of you lays your hand to it first claims it for their own and is the victor of the Gauntlet. At the next sound of thunder, begin your ascent. Good luck and may the Gods be with you.'

Lightning flashed across the sky followed by a roar of thunder. Alana took a run up and leaped onto the mountain, which was surprisingly solid, precious little loose stone to trip on even if it was at a steep incline.

She powered her way up, ignoring the cramps in her legs and the aching in her muscles and chest as the inclines got more and more steep. The diadem was what mattered. She had to lay her hand on it first. She could die afterwards.

Finally, she reached the top of the mountain. She was surprised to find that she was the only one there. The diadem, set upon a shining white plinth, remained. Nobody had claimed it. It was hers…

As she stepped forward, she heard another rumble of thunder and a large rock sailed past her head.

She turned to see the other man- the one with arrogant eyes and the odd tattoo, whose name was Vypaari- standing on the edge of the mountain, hands full of rocks.

'Back off. That crown is mine' he said.

'I don't think so' Alana said, advancing toward the plinth.

'Don't think I won't kill you if I have to, girly. Just because you're a girl, don't mean I'll show you any favours' he said, walking towards her.

As Alana moved forwards to pick up the crown, Vypaari launched himself at her, tackling her to the ground and pinning her down. He hit her hard across the face with his right hand and, as he was preparing to hit her again, she raised her knees into his body and startled him.

He rolled to one side, knees bent, contracted into himself. Alana kicked him in the chest and staggered toward the plinth. One hand was all it would take… just one hand…

She made the mistake of turning her back on him.

Vypaari got up and ran towards her, grabbing her and throwing her to the ground. She rolled as she landed, skittering close to the edge on the mountain. He picked her up by her throat, constricting it then threw her back down.

Alana's hand went to her throat, coughing, choking for air. She looked up to see him standing over her, a large rock in his fist.

'Say goodnight' he said and raised his hand.

Alana put her hands to her head to try and shield herself from the blow. The blow did not come. She allowed herself to look.

Vypaari faltered slowly, dropping the rock. Alana brought herself up to a sitting position. He had three arrows shot through him. He looked at her then turned to look behind him, before crumpling onto the ground.

Alana followed Vypaari's gaze to see Allador standing on the edge of the mountain, bloodied and injured, holding a bow.

Alana could barely contain her joy as she went to him. 'You're alive!'

'Just barely. That Minotaur was a tough one. Only just got past him. Used up all but three of my arrows. Figured I might need them.'

She hugged him, being careful not to be too rough. 'Thank you.'

'Aren't you forgetting something? You might need to place your hands upon that crown and claim it.'

Alana nodded, walking over to the plinth and taking the diadem from it with both hands. As she did so, a load of fireworks went off, filling the sky with colour. A fanfare of trumpets played and Sibylla appeared.

'Congratulations, Alana. You are the winner of Gauntlet 421!'

**In the **TARDIS, the Doctor was literally jumping for joy. She'd done it! He knew she'd do it. OK, so the lightning-bolt boy had helped a little… but the other four and three-quarters of the tasks were all down to her. He didn't think he could feel prouder.

Conversely, the older man in the chair let out a yell of utter anger at seeing his charge Vypaari beaten at the last. He was supposed to have won! What was the point of rigging the competition so that Vypaari would come out on top, if he were beaten at the last by that thin slip of a girl? Questions would be asked… and those providing the answers had better be damn sure of the answers they were giving. He was not a man to cross. As that girl was soon going to find out…

**After the **celebrations, Allador walked Alana back to the TARDIS. For one photograph, Alana had placed the diadem on her head. She could feel the power imbued within it, tingling through her. Such power in that one item alone… Imagine that power six-fold… It was too much for her to comprehend.

The Doctor flung open the TARDIS door. Alana saw him and smiled.

'Congratulations! You did so well!' he said and hugged her tightly.

'Thank you. Now, aren't you glad you let me do that? You'd never have made it across Medusa's Walk' Alana said, jokingly.

'I was wondering how that would have worked myself,' the Doctor said, turning to Allador and extending his hand. 'As for you, young man… thank you for saving her bacon at the last moment.'

'Heck, it's nothing,' Allador said, almost blushing as he took the Doctor's hand. 'I saw her in trouble and… well, I only did what any decent gent would've done.'

'Still… it's impressive, though,' the Doctor said before turning back to Alana. 'Right, we'd better be off. Don't want to hang around too much. They're starting to undo the terraform. We'll be stuck in the sand if we're not quick.'

'OK. Doctor… could I ask a favour?'

'What is it?' he asked.

'Could we take Allador back to Narcissa Minora? It's only a short detour.'

The Doctor regarded the two of them. 'Well, alright. You're lucky you've just overcome a deadly series of trials, that's all. Come on, Allador, hop on in. We'll be home before you know it.'

Alana and Allador got inside the TARDIS, which dematerialized just as the outcrop of rock it was stationed on folded back into the sand.

**The Emissary **sat by the fire in his cottage, deep in thought. The Doctor and Alana had not yet returned. Was that a good thing or a bad thing? Were they having trouble locating the items? He wished he could hear from them.

His heart leapt into his mouth when he heard footsteps approaching the cottage. His stomach replaced his heart as a leather-boot-clad foot kicked the cottage door in.

In the door stood a thickset younger man, dressed head to toe in leather. Flanking him on either side were two more goons, also dressed in leather.

'What… what do you want?' the Emissary asked.

The man who had kicked his door in smiled, a hideous and sadistic smile. 'Somebody wants a word with you, old man.'


	5. The Randolph Box

_**Author's Notes:**_ Again, apologies that this has taken longer than I originally planned: life has a habit of getting in the way. This is a story that I have had gestating for a while and decided that it could be used as part of this fanfic series, by lessening Cassie's role (she was originally the heroine) and substituting the Doctor and Alana. The cards that Cassie and her grandmother are looking at in the opening scene are Tarot cards, and the designs described are those of the Rider-Waite Tarot deck (one of the best known), created by A.E. Waite and drawn by Pamela Colman Smith. At one point, Genevieve refers to the Doctor as 'the oncoming storm'- this phrase was used throughout Seasons 1 and 2 in relation to the Doctor. There are continuity references, not only to the classic and new series but also to other parts of the fanfic. The Doctor refers to himself as a 'merry wanderer of the night': Shakespeare used this to describe Puck in _A Midsummer Night's Dream. _Pay particular attention to the conversation between Cassie and Alana on their way to Randolph Court at the end. I don't own any rights whatsoever to _Doctor Who_ (I wish I did). All characters- apart from the Doctor- are mine.

CHAPTER FIVE: THE RANDOLPH BOX 

**The candles **in the cottage were burning low, as the old woman and her granddaughter continued their work. Genevieve knew they did not have long; she wanted to be sure that Cassie knew all she could before… well, before…

Genevieve held up the next card. 'This one?'

Cassie squinted at the design for a moment. A figure tempted by various treasures and threats- jewels, a laurel wreath, a snake- that filled the golden chalices.

'The Seven of Cups.'

'Which means?'

'Choices. A decision to be made from several options. But not all of them are good for you. Look within to find the right choice.'

Genevieve smiled. 'Good. This one?'

Cassie winced. She didn't like this one. Two figures tumbling from a lightning-struck tower. Nonetheless, she giggled. 'It says what it is on the card, nan. The Tower.'

'I know that, Cassie, but what does it _mean_?'

Cassie furrowed her brow. 'Well… it means… changes are coming. Violent and unexpected change, dramatic and far-reaching. The old way of thinking is being destroyed to be replaced by a new and better way.'

Genevieve nodded. 'True, true. There is always more to it than that, but you have it pretty much right. Your intuition will guide you through enough. This one?'

Cassie swallowed hard and looked away. 'Please put that card down, nan. I don't like it.'

Genevieve reached over and touched the young girl's hands. 'In this life, child, there are many things you will not like but still you have to face them. If this comes up, you know to be prepared.'

Cassie looked at her nan with eyes full of tears. She nodded. The old woman held up the card. In the foreground, a figure lay slain with a number of swords impaled into him. Yet behind, the sun began to rise.

'The Ten of Swords. Things are at their worst. But the sun is rising, so things can only get better.'

Genevieve nodded. 'Indeed, child. Never lose sight of that sun. This one?'

A loud and frantic banging on the front door interrupted their lesson. 'Too soon, too soon,' Genevieve muttered before shouting loudly. 'Who is it?'

'Genevieve… it's Martha. Please, please let me in!'

With Martha's sudden arrival, Genevieve knew what was coming next. She turned to Cassie, who looked worried.

'Cassie, here, child, hide behind the arras,' Genevieve said, holding the large tapestry aside. 'You cannot be seen, cannot be heard. You understand? Not a peep.'

Cassie, frightened, could only nod before being chivvied behind the tapestry.

Genevieve exhaled loudly and opened the door. Her neighbour, who lived in a cottage a half-mile down the hill at the edge of the Windborne Woods, had run through the dark to see her.

'Martha! What is it? What's wrong?'

Martha, a portly woman, was almost bent double trying to catch her breath. She looked at Genevieve with frantic eyes.

'Randolph's men. They're on their way. They've just arrested Gwydion and his wife. You're not safe, Genevieve. You or the girl. You must leave!'

Genevieve showed Martha in and sat her down on a chair before getting her a goblet of water. 'Martha, I have lived her for forty years of my life. I am not running anywhere. They would come for me; I knew that. Thank whomever you believe in that the sight did not touch you. Thank you for coming to warn me. You're a good friend.'

As Martha recovered from her sprint, Genevieve knew there was very little time. She excused herself for a moment and grabbed a small cloth bag from the cupboard. She gathered the cards from the table, wrapped them again in their pink silk scarf, put them back into their wooden box and placed the box in the sack. She also threw in some sheets of handwritten paper, some bread and fruit, a flask of water, a small knife and, as a last act, took the silver pendant that hung around her neck and put that in too.

She yanked the arras aside and Cassie gasped, cowering on the floor.

'It's me, child, just me,' Genevieve said, helping her granddaughter up with one hand. 'The time has come for us to part, my child. Here are some provisions for you. Seek out the Watchers in the Windborne Woods- they will provide you sanctuary and you can aid their crusade. I love you. Remember that always.'

Cassie, tears falling down her cheeks, nodded. Genevieve handed her the bag, which she put across one shoulder.

Genevieve took her granddaughter by the hands, bowed her head, closed her eyes and began to whisper an incantation. 'Aradia, goddess of the lost, protect this, your subject, I humbly pray. Hide her from the eyes of those who would do her harm. Keep her safe, I humbly pray.'

When Genevieve looked up and opened her eyes, she could see Cassie slowly fade before her eyes. 'Stay behind the arras, my love, until we are gone.'

Martha, now recovered, watched with amazement as the young girl vanished. She had always known that Genevieve had a power, a talent. Some even called her a witch in the town square. She was indeed known as a healer, with some mighty odd powers. Knowing this, Martha could see that it was only time before…

There was another loud, and official-sounding, knock at the door.

Genevieve cleared her throat and then went to the door. A tall young man, clad in leather, stood almost filling the doorway. Behind him, Genevieve could see a small cart tied to a horse, flanked by two more guards on horseback.

Genevieve fixed the young man in her doorway with an imperious glare. 'You know who I am, young man?'

The young lieutenant sounded humbled. 'Yes, ma'am.'

'I know why you are here. I will not struggle, I will not fight. I only ask that you let my neighbour go peacefully first.'

He looked at Martha. 'Is she…?'

'No. She isn't. It's just me.'

The lieutenant looked at Martha and said. 'Ma'am, please return to your home. This woman is under arrest and must come with me to face Lord Randolph. This is no concern of yours, so I ask you to leave.'

Martha nodded and, as she walked past Genevieve, clasped her hand. 'Goodbye. Good luck.'

'Thank you, Martha. Goodnight.'

The lieutenant stood in awkward silence for a moment. 'I apologise for this…'

Genevieve smiled wearily. 'No need to, Lieutenant Walker. You are doing your duty. I will not blame anything that comes to pass on you.'

He nodded. 'We need to go.'

'Very well' Genevieve said, sweeping the place with one last look before holding out her hands to the lieutenant, who bound them together with rope.

After the door was closed, Cassie came from behind the arras. Through tearful eyes, she saw her grandmother bundled into the cart, locked in and then taken away, down the path and into the dark.

'**Your uncle **really needs to sort his writing out!' The Doctor exclaimed as the TARDIS hurtled through time. The Emissary's writing, small and crabbed, spidery across yellowed pages, was sometimes difficult to read. The Doctor had put what he thought had been the correct co-ordinates for where the Emissary had left another of the Gallifreyan articles, only to find that he had mistaken a 3 for a 5 and a 1 for a 7 and ended up at the Salem Witch Trials. It was only down to Alana's quick thinking that neither of them had been burned alive.

'I'll tell him, when we get back' Alana said, leaning on the TARDIS control console.

'You sound a bit… are you alright?' the Doctor said, looking over his glasses at her.

'I am. I'm still a bit achy from the Gauntlet trials. That Minotaur kicking me in the chest,' Alana paused, her hand to her chest. 'And… well, I know this is going to sound silly… but I'm missing Allador.'

The Doctor smiled wryly. 'Nice enough chap. Certainly did you a favour.'

Alana smiled. 'He did. And he was sweet with it. I just… oh, never mind. You probably think I'm being silly.'

'Not at all' the Doctor said. _If only you knew how much I missed Rose…_

'So where are we heading next?'

'We're heading to where your uncle left the coronation orb. He entrusted it to a young man named Michael. Other details are a bit scant. Doesn't even name the planet. Could be Earth for all I know. We'll just have to land and find out what we can.'

'Could we go back and see my uncle after we finish here?'

'Don't see why not. But I'm drawing the line at popping back to Narcissa Minora for you to get your fill of eye-candy.'

Alana mock-pouted. 'Spoilsport.'

The Doctor smiled and the TARDIS landed with a slight bump. 'OK. Here we are. It seems to be morning. Couldn't tell you where or when though.'

'I'm sure we'll find out soon' Alana said.

The Doctor opened the TARDIS doors and they began walking out of them. 'Here we are. Off to find the orb. Walloping great round lump of gold, shouldn't be too…'

As they left the TARDIS, they turned to see a young man and a young woman standing in front of them, with sharp swords pointed at the Doctor's and Alana's throats.

'Difficult.' The Doctor finished his sentence then smiled feebly at the girl.

**Genevieve stood **flanked by two guards in the darkened Great Hall of Randolph Court, hands bound, yet standing proud. She had faced an uncomfortable night in the dank cells, crammed with people she had known her whole life who may soon be facing the executioner's blade. She worried about Cassie. Would she be alright?

Sat in front of Genevieve, behind a large table, was a lean middle-aged man with a graying beard and a fierce look in his eyes. He was dressed in fine embroidered silk robes. He had a hand on his chin. His voice was gravelly, low and full of menace.

He fixed Genevieve with a hard stare and said 'you know why you're here, don't you, woman?'

'Don't you "woman" me, _Lord _RandolphYou know full well who I am. I am Genevieve Maltravers. Moreover, you know what I can do.'

'Yes. I have been informed. A "gift" of foresight, I am told. A corrupted perversion' Lord Randolph spat.

'I'm in touch with the mystic, the divine, the light. Unlike you.'

Lord Randolph glared at her. 'What did you say?'

'We see what you're doing. What you have done, and- some of us- what you will do. We know who you've become and how you've got there. And that terrifies you, doesn't it? Knowing that there are people who know exactly how you came to be where you are.'

'Enough of this babbling nonsense! Do you deny your heresy?'

Genevieve laughed. 'Deny it? I revel in it. I rejoice in it. It is not heresy to be so touched. The only danger in being so blessed is that thoroughly bleak-souled men like you seek to destroy us. All for knowing that which you want hid.'

'I think I've heard enough,' Lord Randolph said, gesturing to the two guards either side of Genevieve. 'You may take her away now. Sentence passed: execution.'

The guards nodded and began to drag Genevieve from the room. She yelled back at Lord Randolph, 'you will silence me soon, but mark these words, _Michael_. Something is on its way, and this… oncoming storm will mark the end of you.'

'Guards! Hold hard,' Lord Randolph bellowed, causing the guards to pause for a few moments, before he spoke again. 'Kill this one first.'

Genevieve's eyes met Lord Randolph's for a second before she was taken away. But what she gleaned in his eyes was not triumph or arrogance; it was fear. She allowed herself to smile at him before she disappeared.

Lord Randolph put a hand to his temple and sighed hard. 'Lieutenant Walker!'

His lieutenant appeared in the doorway. 'Sir?'

'I should like to talk to my son. Where is he?'

'Master Marcus is out hunting, my lord. He left for the Windborne Woods just after breakfast. All he said was that he expected to be out for a good long while.'

'He's spending an awful lot of time in those woods at the moment. Go to him, tell him I need to see him urgently.'

'I shall do, sir' the lieutenant said nervously.

Lord Randolph nodded. 'Before you leave, send the next one in, please.'

'**Ah, now, **let me introduce myself. I'm the Doctor, that's Alana and… would you mind taking these swords away from our throats? It's a little disconcerting' the Doctor said.

The young girl, bemused, lowered her sword. The young man did the same.

'Thank you' he said.

'Your blue box just appeared out of nowhere' the young man said.

'Yes, it has a habit of doing that. I apologise if it frightened you. We're just passing by, though. Shouldn't be here too long.'

'So… you're travellers?' the girl asked.

'In a manner of speaking, yes. I'm not even sure where we are. Where are we?'

The boy answered. 'You're in the Windborne Woods.'

'Oh,' the Doctor said, sounding nonplussed. 'And where would that be?'

'What do you mean, "where would that be"? It's here' the girl said.

'Yes, but where's here?' the Doctor asked.

'We were just given the coordinates of this place and sent here. We don't know which planet we're on or what time, anything like that' Alana said.

'That's a funny way to travel' the boy said, sounding suspicious.

'Isn't it just? Please… look, we mean you no harm. Could you just tell us where we've landed?' Alana asked.

'This is Corasca' the girl said.

'Corasca! Now I get it!,' the Doctor exclaimed, before turning round at the quizzical looks that all three of them were giving him. 'Sorry. Little overexcited there. So… you were saying?'

'My name's Iona,' the girl said, putting her sword into the earth. 'That's Milo.'

Milo smiled and nodded briefly.

'What were you doing when we interrupted you?' Alana asked.

'We were out looking for some…,' Iona began before looking around and lowering her voice. 'Some herbs. I've run out of several of them.'

'Oh, you're a herbalist, are you? Good for you!' the Doctor said.

Iona turned on him, hissing with venom in her voice. 'Be quiet! Don't speak so loudly about that, you idiot! You want me to be killed?'

The Doctor was taken aback. 'I… I'm sorry. Are things that bad around here?'

'Worse than that,' Milo said. 'Anyone showing anything like proficiency in anything deemed "blasphemous" is being carted off and executed.'

'That's dreadful' Alana said.

'My parents were both taken… two years ago,' Iona spoke, her voice quavering. 'They were both herbalists and healers. My father claimed to have some kind of clairvoyance too. In the night, they came for them. I was hidden beneath the house. I heard them… my mother screaming… I never heard or saw them again.'

'That's dreadful. And it's been going on for two years?' the Doctor said.

Iona nodded. Milo went to her and put an arm around her shoulder. She turned in to him and he hugged her.

'Look, we shouldn't talk about this here. Randolph's got men everywhere. Come back to our cottage. We'll tell you more about it there' Milo said.

'Lead the way' the Doctor said.

**In the **centre of the Windborne Woods lay a large and deep lake. Marcus Randolph sat by the lake, looking out onto the surface of the water, watching it ripple slightly in the breeze. The knot inside his stomach began to tighten. He always felt like this when he had to wait. He wished he didn't. He wished he could just relax…

A gentle hand to his shoulder brought him from this reverie. He looked up, beginning to smile. The smile died when he saw his father's lieutenant standing over him.

'Lieutenant Walker. What can I do for you, sir?'

The young lieutenant looked at him. 'I've been sent by your father. He sent me out after you. He wants to speak to you. I… I told him you had gone hunting.'

Marcus smiled. 'You didn't have to do that for me, Gideon.'

'Should I have told him the truth instead?'

There was a pause. Marcus sighed. 'No. Probably not.'

'Well, then. I'm afraid it might have to wait for today, Master Marcus. Your father wishes your attendance. He was quite strict about it. I think it may have something to do with tomorrow.'

Marcus stood up and brushed his clothes off. 'Tomorrow. I wish tomorrow would never come.'

'It means a lot to your father. His only child turning twenty-one.'

'It's just a birthday. I've had twenty before now. Never once has this amount of fuss been made.'

'Twenty-one's a special age, sir. When a boy becomes a man. It's only right a father should make something of his only son's accession into manhood. Anyway, we had best be off. Your father is expecting us.'

As Marcus made his way to his horse, Lieutenant Walker threw a brace of dead rabbits in front of him.

'It would not do for you to come back hunting without nothing, sir.'

Marcus picked them up 'Thank you, Gideon.'

The two men mounted their horses and rode off. Neither of them saw the black cat that sat in the bushes surrounding the lake, watching them.

**The banging **of the wooden door against the wall startled Cassie, to the point where she dropped the cards she had been looking at. Iona rounded the door, saw her and said 'Sorry, Cassie. Didn't mean to frighten you.'

Milo followed her in, placing the swords on top of a small cupboard that stood by the door. 'That's Cassie. She found us yesterday' he explained to the Doctor.

The Doctor looked at the girl, pale and scared. 'Hello. I'm the Doctor and that's Alana.'

'Hi' Alana said.

'Hello' Cassie said timidly.

The main room of the cottage was very spartan. Four chairs surrounded a wooden table in the centre of the room; to the left was a small kitchen area with pots and pans. A small thin bed lay across one wall, with a ladder leading to an upper floor by the side of it. The bag given to Cassie by her grandmother lay on it. Across the table were the wooden box, the pink scarf and the cards.

'So. You're gifted too, Cassie?' the Doctor asked.

Cassie nodded. 'Glimpses of foresight. And I can read the cards. My grandmother… was teaching me. Before she was taken.'

'How did you escape?' Alana asked.

'My grandmother hid me. Invoked Aradia and disguised me from those who would do me harm. I saw them come for her. I saw them take her away. She was killed this morning, just after dawn. I saw it.'

Cassie began to pack the cards away and then sat on the bed. Alana sat by her whilst the Doctor, Milo and Iona sat at the table.

Iona looked at the Doctor and Alana intently. 'You're both not well. How long have you been ill?'

'Well, I wouldn't say ill exactly. But in 1897, a vicious long-clawed beast called a Lanuthone attacked me. And Alana was recently kicked in the chest by a Minotaur, amongst other things.'

'Hm,' Iona exclaimed, before getting from the table and going to the small cupboard by the door. 'I think I've got something that might help you.'

She opened the cupboard to reveal lots of small glass bottles, a large pestle and mortar and heaps of dried herbs. She picked up two separate vials, studied them for a moment before moving over to the kitchen area, taking two goblets and pouring a little from each glass vial into them. She then picked up a jug of water and mixed them together. She handed one to Alana and one to the Doctor.

As she handed the goblet to the Doctor, she said 'physician, heal thyself. Ever heard that one?'

'Frequently. Is this…?'

'Perfectly safe. Go ahead.'

The Doctor downed the contents of the goblet quickly. He inhaled sharply and his eyes opened. He could feel an energy pouring through him. He looked at his arm where the scars of the Lanuthone attack remained. He actually saw them vanish. He looked up at Iona, who smiled.

'And, lo, you shall be changed in the twinkling of an eye' she said.

Alana drank hers more slowly. It tasted slightly bitter but within moments, she could feel the ache in her chest go and feel her scraped and cut limbs repair.

'This is amazing!' Alana said.

'You're welcome,' Iona said, placing the vials back in the cupboard. 'It's what I do. And it's why I'm hunted.'

'Because you're a herbalist? That's ridiculous!' the Doctor exclaimed.

'That's the extent of Randolph's paranoia,' Milo said. 'He believes that anyone that can do what Iona does and what we do are somehow… attuned differently. That's a threat to him and, over the last two years, anyone who has shown signs of this have been removed. Iona's parents, Cassie's grandmother. My brother. All taken. All killed.'

'But why? And who's this Randolph bloke?' asked the Doctor.

'Lord Randolph. The lord of the manor. He's been in power in these parts for… oh, twenty years or more. Hasn't he, Milo?'

'Twenty-three years, to be precise. Before they were taken, my folks told me about the day he became lord of the manor. His father died quite suddenly and he, as the only son and heir, took over. The old Lord Randolph had, by all accounts, been a decent enough fellow. This one's a complete tyrant.'

'So… his old man dies in mysterious circumstances, he comes to power wielding a rod of iron and has now started to get rid of the healers and the mystics. Something's definitely fishy here' the Doctor said.

'No kidding,' Alana said before looking up at the window opposite her. 'Oh! There's a black cat on your windowsill.'

'Oh, he's always loitering around here. You can let him in if you like' Milo said, trying to stifle a grin.

Alana smiled and opened the window. The cat sat there, looking at her with blazing topaz eyes. Alana reached forward and began to stroke the cat beneath its chin.

'Oh, look. You're so cute!'

Alana was surprised when the cat, without opening its mouth, answered her. _Please don't do that_, it said, _that really does demean us both_.

With a fluid motion, the cat jumped into the room… and metamorphosed into a young man, who landed on the floor of the cottage on both feet.

Alana looked agape. 'What the… how did… you…'

The young man looked around at her and smiled. 'I'm a shapeshifter. My name's Luke. I'm sorry about telling you off, but I've had enough of people petting me when I take my chosen form. It is a little embarrassing. No hard feelings?'

'None' Alana said, still looking bemused. 'Are you always a cat?'

'Like I say, chosen form. But I can change into other things too. A wolf. Occasionally, a bear, but that takes a lot of effort and energy. But a cat is easier' he said.

'So… a shapechanger, a herbalist, a clairvoyant and… how about you, Milo? What's your talent?'

'Healer. I channel universal energy that can be used to repair the body. Sometimes I'll use crystals and focusing stones too. Even something as benevolent as that is deemed too much. My brother was the same. After our parents died, it was just him and me. My powers hadn't begun to manifest when Randolph's men came knocking. So they just took him instead.'

'Before this happened,' Iona said. 'My parents and I were talking one evening and they said what a shame it was that he had changed so much. "Young Michael's not the boy he was" they said. They suspected foul play in old Randolph's…'

'Hold on a sec,' the Doctor interrupted. 'Michael? Did you just say "Michael"?'

'Yes, that's his given name. Lord Michael Randolph.' Iona looked confused.

'Oh no,' The Doctor covered his mouth and nose with his hands then sprang up from the table. 'Where does he live?'

'Randolph Court. It's a giant house in the Greensward Vale.'

'Right. Alana, with me. We've got to pay him a visit and soon. You lot, stay here. I'll come back in a little while.'

Alana followed the Doctor out of the cottage and made their way through the woods.

'Doctor! What's wrong? Answer me!'

'These people have lived for nearly a quarter of a century under despotic rule… and I think your uncle gave him the tools to do it with.'

**Marcus knocked **on the door to the great hall. His father summoned him with a sharp 'come.'

'You wanted to see me, father?' he asked as he opened the door.

'Ah yes, my boy. Come in. Good hunting?'

'A little. A brace of rabbits and I winged a pheasant. Not quite what I was after though.'

'With all the time you're spending in the woods, I thought you'd be a crack shot by now, boy,' Lord Randolph said, standing from his chair. 'Anyway, I wanted to talk to you about tomorrow.'

'Father… did you need to bring me back from hunting for that?' Marcus asked.

Lord Randolph slapped him sharply across the face with the back of his hand. 'Ungrateful wretch! Tomorrow is the most important day of your life! How dare you try and trivialize it?'

Marcus' hand went to his face. 'I… I'm sorry, father. Forgive me.'

Lord Randolph stood for a moment, composing himself. 'This… this is a significant time for you, boy. Tomorrow, I will give you the most important present I could ever give you. Come with me, I want to show you something.'

Lord Randolph swept out of the room, with Marcus following. From the great hall, they walked down a long corridor and then descended a spiral staircase. The next corridor was shorter, which ended at a locked and barred door. A small grille in the door allowed Marcus to see dancing shadows on the wall, the reflections from burning candles.

'In there, my son, is the seat of our power. Tomorrow, when you are a man, I will share this gift with you. You shall become a new man, a stronger man when you see it,' Lord Randolph said, clapping Marcus on the shoulder. 'Now, you may return to your hunting if so you wish. I have an afternoon of business ahead of me.'

Lord Randolph headed back along the corridor, leaving Marcus standing at the door alone. His face still smarted from where his father had slapped him. He stood there, stroking his cheek. _What was behind that door?_

**In the **cottage, Cassie sat at the table, reading over some of the pages her grandmother had put into the sack. Suddenly, her vision began to blur and a piercing white light filled her eyes. Knowing what this meant, she closed them, breathed in and braced herself against the table.

A ceremonial altar… flickering candles in tall black iron candlesticks either side of it… table covered with a thick red silk cloth… a chalice… a dagger… bottles and bowls of incense and herbs… a scroll… and at the centre of the table, a large wooden box… closed with a padlock… an intricate design on the lid… and inside…

The light faded and her vision returned to normal. Iona was kneeling by her. 'Cassie! Cass, are you OK?'

Cassie nodded her head weakly.

Milo brought over a goblet of water. 'What did you see?'

'A box… a box on an altar,' Cassie said as she looked up. 'I need some ink.'

'**When Iona **mentioned Corasca, I realised why we hadn't had any readings from the TARDIS,' the Doctor said as he and Alana headed through the woods. 'Corasca's in the Shadow Realm.'

'The Shadow Realm? What does that mean?'

'We were taught about the Shadow Realm in the Academy. Across the universe, there is a band of territories that are classed as being in the Shadow Realm. A kind of no-mans-land. You were able to pass through them, stop there, but nothing was known about it. Anyone coming back was unable to keep co-ordinates or artifacts. They exist… but they don't. It's a miracle your uncle's co-ordinates survived.'

'You mean like a fantasy land? A fiction?'

'No, no. The place is real enough. It's just… we can't get any readings off it. Which could cause trouble for us.'

'How so?'

'I've got a feeling Lord Randolph's used the orb to gain his power. Outside the Shadow Realm, we know what the orb does. Here, I haven't a clue. Its power could be magnified ten times over, it could be used to summon or create an alien energy that Randolph has to pay tribute to, I don't know. That could explain why he's doing away with the mystics and the seers. The only thing I'm sure of is that the orb is in very dangerous hands.'

**Having been **given the option to return hunting, Marcus took it. Again he sat by the lake of the Windborne Woods, hoping almost against hope that they could meet. He watched the breeze ruffle the serene surface of the water. Tomorrow. Tomorrow. All he could think about was tomorrow. His father had unnerved him with talk about the 'seat of power' and becoming 'a stronger man'. There had been rumours recently… all the people being executed… dark stories of blood and trickery… could they be right? Could all that had been said about his father have an inch of truth to it?

The snap of a broke twig and the skitter of dry leaves crunched underfoot distracted him. Marcus looked up and smiled. Finally.

'I'm sorry about earlier. My father called me back.'

'I know. I saw Gideon Walker come to fetch you,' Luke said, stepping out from the trees and coming towards him. 'What was so urgent?'

'Just discussions about tomorrow.'

'Your big day' Luke said playfully, sitting down beside him.

'Don't. It's becoming too big, too much of a responsibility.'

'I got you a little gift,' Luke said shyly, handing Marcus a carved wooden pendant on a length of string. 'It's not much, I know. Certainly not as much as what your father can give you…'

'It's beautiful' Marcus said, trying it around his neck. 'Thank you.'

Luke smiled and Marcus moved his head closer, kissing him on the lips.

**Lord Randolph **sat in the main hall again, having just dispatched an old couple that had show signs of 'the sight' to the executioner's blade. He sat in thought for a moment. Something was troubling him, something he needed to articulate…

'Lieutenant Walker! Come here a moment!' he yelled.

The nervous lieutenant walked into the room, almost trembling. 'Yes, sir?'

'My son… Do you think he's ready for what I have to show him?'

'I don't know, sir. Actually not knowing what it is you're going to show him tomorrow, I don't think I can say one way or the other.'

'He's such a… dreamer. All he wants to do is go hunting in the woods all the time. My father was the same, though,' Lord Randolph said. 'He was benevolent, kind…and weak. Just like Marcus. I fear for him, Gideon. I fear that… when I am gone, these lands of mine will dissolve into nothingness. My legacy is the greatest thing I have to offer my only child and I'm afraid he will not live up to it.'

'Master Marcus is a very… _different_ kind of person to you, sir. He will find his own way of dealing with things.'

Lord Randolph flew into a fury. 'You do not know what I had to do to get where I am today, Lieutenant Walker. If you knew… you would not try and fob me off with these platitudes! If he isn't ready come tomorrow, he soon will be. And for his sake, and all your sakes, I hope he is!'

Lieutenant Walker thought carefully before asking his next question. 'Has this something to do with the sealed chamber downstairs, sir?'

'What did you say?' Lord Randolph had gone deathly quiet.

'The sealed chamber downstairs. I have… heard things from down there, sir.'

'And what have you heard, Lieutenant Walker?'

'Strange voices, almost inhuman in tone. I scarce can bring myself to credit they are real.'

Lord Randolph paused. He had no idea that one of his closest associates could have got so close to the secret of his power. 'And for how long have you heard these… strange voices?'

'This twelvemonth past. Only odd snatches, like songs in the darkness. Enough to unnerve me though, sir,' Lieutenant Walker said, suddenly realising what he had been saying. 'But it's nothing, sir, probably nothing. I should not have mentioned it. It is nothing to be concerned of, I am sure.'

Lord Randolph regarded him coolly for a moment. 'Are you sure there is no history of the sight in your family, Lieutenant?'

Lieutenant Walker gasped. 'No, sir. None whatsoever. Perhaps I am unwell. A fevered delusion, maybe?'

'You would do well, Lieutenant Walker, to put this out of your mind. What you have heard is an illusion and nothing more. Any more talk of this, though, and I will have to reconsider my opinion of you. I do not consort with blasphemers and heretics, Gideon, and I will punish them all- without exception or favour. Now go.'

Lieutenant Walker's legs could barely carry him from the room.

'**Got it!** We'll tell them you're a witch and you need to be tried before Lord Randolph! That way, we get in and can have a proper look around!' the Doctor said.

'And I end up beheaded or burnt alive. Great plan!' Alana replied.

'What else do you suggest?' the Doctor asked.

'Well, first, it might help if we find out where the Greensward Vale is. We're just wandering aimlessly!' Alana said.

'Good point. I'm not even sure where the TARDIS is' the Doctor said as they walked into a clearing.

Alana let out a yelp, immediately went red and said 'I am so sorry!'

'What are you apologizing for… oh, I see' the Doctor said as he saw Luke and Marcus, both stripped to the waist and in each other's arms.

For a few awkward moments, nobody spoke. Luke scrambled to his feet, grabbing his shirt and pulling it on, Marcus doing the same. Alana simply did not know where to look or what to say.

'So… we're looking for the Greensward Vale. Can't find it. How long have we been wandering around, Alana? Ages, isn't it?,' the Doctor said, looking at Alana (who just nodded). 'So any ideas… where it is?'

Marcus cleared his throat before speaking. 'I can help you. I live there.'

'This is Marcus Randolph' Luke said, a fierce red.

'Oh,' Alana said, and then realised the significance of the name.'Oh!'

'Pleased to meet you, miss' Marcus said.

'So… Marcus, your father is lord of the manor, is that right?' the Doctor asked.

'That's correct, sir. He rules these parts.'

'He does indeed. Any idea how he does it?'

Marcus looked confused. 'Through shrewd, albeit strict, government, sir. On my grandfather's passing, my father- the rightful son and heir- assumed the mantle and title of Lord. As I will when my father passes.'

The Doctor looked at Alana and motioned her closer. 'Whatever's going on, he doesn't know about it.'

To compound the awkwardness further, Lieutenant Walker burst into the clearing too. He looked scant of breath, as if he had been running.

'Gideon!' Marcus noticed the young man staggering through the trees.

'Sir… I'm sorry for this intrusion… but I need to tell you something… in case it comes to pass…'

'What are you talking about? Gideon, you're scaring me.'

Lieutenant Walker looked over to see Luke standing at the water's edge, perplexed. 'I'm sorry, sir, I didn't mean to interrupt yourself and Luke. I know your time together is snatched and precious…'

'It's OK. Now come here and tell us what's wrong.'

'I think your father means to kill me.'

**In the **sealed chamber, Lord Randolph stood before the altar, the flickering candles sending shadows dancing across his face. Using a key that hung around his neck, he unfixed the padlock from the large box on the altar, replacing the key straight away. He turned up the sleeves of his robe to reveal a thick, jagged and angry-looking cut that went diagonally across his lower left arm. Picking up the dagger with his right hand, he dug the blade into his arm and sliced himself along the cut, wincing as he did so.

He held the knife above the chalice, watching the droplets fall. He poured some liquid from one of the bottles and added it to the chalice before adding various herbs from the dishes and bowls that stood on the table. He mixed these things together with the tip of the dagger and drank the contents of the chalice down. He unrolled the scroll and began chanting, ancient, mystic words, language deep and old. There was a blinding flash from within the box.

Lord Randolph looked up and bowed his head reverently. 'My lord, I stand here, a humble supplicant, petitioning for your wisdom.'

He was answered by a deep, unhuman voice. 'Speak. What do you wish of me?'

**Back at **the cottage, the Watchers, the Doctor and Alana had been joined by the distraught Lieutenant Walker who had just related the conversation he had had with Lord Randolph about the strange voices coming from the sealed chamber.

'Whatever he's hiding, whatever dark and malevolent forces he has at his control, it's contained within that room' the Doctor said.

'That's where he took me today,' Marcus said. 'He told me that in that room was the seat of his power and he would share that with me tomorrow. When I became a man.'

Alana looked at the rough drawing Cassie had produced from her vision. 'And this is what you saw? The box and the chalice and all the other things?'

Cassie nodded. 'That's what I saw. Exactly as I saw it.'

The Doctor looked at the drawing. 'He's keeping it in the box. So we need to get the box from him.'

'Randolph must have summoned something, a demon or an unholy thing, and that's why he's in control round here' Iona said.

'That would explain a few things,' the Doctor said, still looking at the drawing. 'Why he wants to hunt down the healers and the mediums and clairvoyants. They can see what'll be invisible to us ordinary folk. And the timing, of course. Your standard pact with the devil is twenty-one years and then you have to pay up. Very Mephistophelean. Instead of giving his soul though, Randolph's taking the souls of the seers.'

'I can't believe it's true,' Marcus said, sounding shaken. 'I had heard dark stories before. Ugly whispers and rumours that he had killed my grandfather to become Lord, and the reasons he was killing the healers. I scarce can acknowledge it.'

Luke put an arm around Marcus' shoulders and hugged him. 'It's OK.'

'Marcus,' the Doctor said. 'we need to know what your father is hiding in that room. I wouldn't ask under any other circumstances, but…'

'You want me to go in there tomorrow and see what he's keeping in there' Marcus replied.

'That's about the size of it, yes' the Doctor said.

Marcus nodded. 'OK, I'll do it'

'No! You can't!' Luke said.

Marcus' voice was quiet but steely. 'Please do not presume to tell me what I can and cannot do, Luke. I have to do this.'

'What if that thing needs to possess you? I don't want to lose you!'

'And I don't want to be lost, but if I have to be, I will. My father's tyranny must end. You hide in the shadows, skulking, afraid to live. That cannot be allowed to continue. Doctor, I will do it. As soon as he shows me what is in the room, I will make an excuse to leave and I will come here.'

'Thank you, Marcus' the Doctor said.

Lieutenant Walker leaned forward. 'Master Marcus, I think we should make our way back to Randolph Court. After what has happened, your father may become suspicious.'

'Agreed,' Marcus said, standing. 'Until tomorrow then. Goodbye, all.'

He looked at Luke, who seemed fit to cry. He took Luke in his arms, kissed him on the forehead and said, 'I'll see you tomorrow. Safe and sound. I love you.'

'Doctor,' Lieutenant Walker said. 'I'll wait at the main gate tomorrow to let you into Randolph Court. As much as I can, I will help. I cannot promise how much, but this situation must end. Whatever I can do, it is yours.'

'Thank you, Gideon' the Doctor said.

As Marcus and Lieutenant Walker left, Luke sat back down, eyes welling with tears. Alana sat next to him and put a comforting hand on his arm.

'It'll be OK, you'll see, Luke. He'll be safe and you'll see him tomorrow' Alana said.

'I don't want to lose him' Luke said, sounding frightened.

'You won't,' said the Doctor. 'Once he sees what's in that room, he'll come and tell us. I'll go to the Court, Lieutenant Walker will let me in and I'll find whatever it is and destroy it.'

'What do you mean, "_I'll _go to the Court"?,' Alana said. '_We'll _go to the Court.'

'We all will!' Milo said.

'You won't be able to take care of them all by yourself,' Cassie said, a thin voice from the corner. 'He'll capture you… you'll be on your knees before him… with his sword at your throat…'

'That's a risk I'll have to take' the Doctor said.

'Doctor, listen to her!' Alana said. 'Cassie has the gift of foresight. You cannot do this without us. Randolph will capture you. Kill you, even!'

'Your uncle charged me with the quest to get these items…' the Doctor began.

'He charged me with that task too. And don't forget, Doctor, these young people will have to deal with the consequences of your actions. We're OK. We can just pop off in the TARDIS once this is over. They'll have to pick the pieces up,' Alana said. 'The least you can do is give them a chance to help.'

The Doctor paused. 'Iona. Is there anything you can prepare, a tincture or a concoction that I could use to damage whatever Randolph's summoned?'

'There are a few things, yes. And I can prepare some healing herbs too in case of injury.'

'Good. Whatever you can do to help. Milo, how about you?'

'We have swords and I can use a quarterstaff. A bit of brute force never went unneeded' he said, smiling.

'Excellent. Luke, you said you can shapeshift into a wolf?'

'That's right' he said, quietly.

'Doctor… maybe you should leave Luke out of this for the moment?' Alana suggested.

'I don't want to be left out,' Luke said. 'I need to play my part in this.'

'You don't have to' Alana reminded him.

'Neither do you, but you will.'

Everyone turned their attention to Cassie. The Doctor smiled. 'And Cassie… well, you're the most important one of all.'

**The evening **passed in preparation. Iona sat at the table, grinding herbs and preparing mixtures. Cassie sat on the bed, meditating over the cards. The Doctor and Alana had returned to the TARDIS to see if there was anything there that could help. Milo sat with Iona, helping her. After midnight, they all went to bed.

Luke, however, had left earlier in the evening. He had changed into a cat and spent time slinking around the outside of Randolph Court. He found Marcus' bedchamber window. He had been there once- had to hide when one of the soldiers came in. They had had fun that day…

Now, past midnight, Marcus lay sleeping. Luke in feline form sat on the windowsill, watching his best beloved sleep. After a while, he jumped down and padded away. He too needed sleep.

Tomorrow was going to be a big day…

'**Master Marcus,** it's time to get up, sir. Your father is waiting for you downstairs in the Great Hall,' the maid said, holding a silver breakfast tray. 'He says you're to join him as quickly as possible.'

'Thank you' Marcus replied, sleepily.

'You're welcome, sir. Oh… and… many happy returns of the day' the maid said, bobbing before leaving the room.

Marcus looked at the food before him and then noticed a small box on the tray. Curious, he opened it to find a silver ring engraved with an intricate design. Beneath the box lay a piece of paper which simply read 'Happy birthday. Wear the ring when you come down. Your loving father.'

Marcus slipped the ring upon the middle finger of his left hand and winced, as it seemed to tighten upon the knuckle. He ate quickly and dressed before heading to the Great Hall, the butterflies in his stomach flying helter-skelter.

His father stood in the Great Hall, leaning against his chair. He beamed as he saw Marcus enter the room.

'Ah! My boy! My son,' Lord Randolph said, embracing him warmly and then kissing him on both cheeks. 'Now a man. Happy birthday, Marcus.'

'Thank you, father' Marcus replied, slightly taken aback at his father's effusiveness.

'I see you are wearing the ring. Good, good. Now, we must head downstairs. My present to you is waiting for us there'

Lord Randolph swept from the room, Marcus following. They did not speak until they got to the sealed chamber downstairs.

'Here we are. I hope you are prepared for what you are about to see' Lord Randolph said.

'I hope so too, father. I have been thinking about this since you showed me the chamber' Marcus replied, which was almost the truth.

'Excellent' Lord Randolph said, raising his hand and pushing the door open.

'But… how did you…' Marcus asked, incredulous.

'The ring, my son. The rings that we now both wear will open the door, when it will not otherwise yield to human hand' Lord Randolph replied.

They stepped across the threshold of the room, and the door sealed behind them. Marcus took in everything. It was as Cassie had drawn it. Right down to the box on the table… which Lord Randolph was unlocking.

Marcus watched in horror as his father drew the dagger against his own flesh. This horror only intensified when, after the chanting, the blinding flash from within the box expanded to reveal a truly hideous, inhuman form.

The form opened its eyes, which blazed a deep and terrible red. 'Speak! What do you wish of me?' it asked in a terrible voice.

'As promised, my lord Malcassar, here I present my son' Lord Randolph said, gesturing to the statue-still figure by his side.

The grotesque rictus grin that split Malcassar's face was the stuff of nightmares. It fixed its baleful eyes upon Marcus and laughed.

**Cassie was **outside the cottage, picking some flowers when the vision came. She dropped the posy she was collecting and ran into the cottage.

'Luke! LUKE!' she screamed.

'What is it, Cass?' he asked, startled.

'The lake. You need to go to the lake in the woods. Now. Don't argue; don't ask. Just go. He needs you' Cassie said.

Luke nodded and bolted from the cottage. Cassie sat at the table and began to cry.

**Luke ran **through the woods, tree branches whipping against him and the once familiar ground making him stumble. He hoped, he prayed that Cassie was wrong, that there wasn't anything to see…

He ran into the clearing to discover she had been right.

On the shore of the lake lay a letter, sealed in wax. Floating facedown in the centre of the lake was Marcus Randolph.

Luke was paralysed momentarily when he saw his beloved there. Shaking this away, he ran and dived into the lake, swimming frantically to get to Marcus who lay gently bobbing on the surface of the lake like a discarded leaf.

Luke got to him and dragged the prone body onto the shore, trying to find a pulse, any sign of life in the man he loved. Nothing. Marcus lay cold and wet and dead.

Luke cradled the body to him, kissed it once on the forehead and then burst into tears.

**The Doctor **and Alana waited at the cottage. Everyone was on edge, waiting for Marcus to arrive. Cassie hadn't mentioned what she'd seen. Perhaps Luke had got there in time and the waters hadn't claimed Marcus Randolph's life. Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps…

The door came to and a dead-eyed and wet Luke came in, clutching the letter that had been left for him on the side of the lake. He dropped the letter on the table then turned to Cassie and began to cry again. All she could do was hug him.

'Luke? What's wrong? What's happened? Are you OK?' Iona asked.

Her only answer was a loud howl of anguish.

'Marcus is dead. He drowned himself in the lake this morning' Cassie said.

'What?'

'The letter… Read the letter…' Luke said.

The Doctor took the letter from the table and read it quietly. When he had finished, he put it down on the table and went over to Luke, who was still with Cassie.

'Luke… I'm so sorry for your loss… He made a very brave sacrifice…'

'He killed himself because they tried to carve a piece of his soul out! That's not a sacrifice!,' Luke yelled, turning on the Doctor with his eyes blazing. 'Are you happy now, Doctor? Hm? Are you? You have what you need to beat Lord Randolph. Aren't you pleased? Never mind that it came at the cost of my boyfriend's life!'

'Luke… I…' the Doctor began.

'Bring him back to me. It's simple enough. You have powers unseen too, Doctor. Bring him back!'

'I can't do that' the Doctor said quietly.

'Then what good are you? What good can you do, hm? You waltz in here, play God with all our lives and then depart, whilst we have to deal with what you've done. Is that what you do, Doctor? Is that your life?'

'Luke… please, calm down…' Milo said, laying a hand on Luke's shoulder which he aggressively shrugged off.

The Doctor looked at them all. He raised his eyebrows and exhaled. 'I think I should go. I'll be back when I've sorted out this mess.'

He turned and left, not looking back.

**Lord Randolph **stood in the Great Hall, waiting impatiently. Where was his son? After giving him the most important gift he would get upon this day, where had he gone? Perhaps the ritual had been too much for him. It had been overwhelming the first time he had seen Malcassar but yet exhilarating at the same time. Lord Randolph's worst fear had been confirmed; Marcus had not been ready.

'Lieutenant Walker!' Lord Randolph bellowed.

'Sir?'

'My son. Where is he?'

Lieutenant Walker already knew the truth of what Marcus had done. 'He's… gone out riding in the woods, sir. Said he needed a breath of fresh air. Do you want me to go and get him for you?'

'Yes. I need him back here. Go!'

**The Doctor **strode through the woods with purpose. This had to end. This ended today. No ifs or buts. That orb was coming with him and Lord Randolph would pay.

Luke's words, like barbs, stuck beneath his skin. Had this always been his life? He had done such good for so many people and for so many places. He had prevented a full-scale Auton attack on London, thwarted the Gelth in a Cardiff funeral home and saved the Earth from a Cyberman invasion…. But now- confronted by a young man's pain and loss- it felt that those things had never happened.

As he got to the gates of Randolph Court, he saw Lieutenant Walker on his way out. Their eyes met; the lieutenant nodded, and the Doctor passed through into the grounds of the court.

**Back at **the cottage, the atmosphere was tense. Luke, inconsolable, lay on the bed, crying quietly to himself. Iona and Milo stood in the kitchen area, finishing the herbal preparations they had started the night before. Cassie sat at the table, studying the cards intently. Alana sat opposite her, her mind racing.

The atmosphere shattered when Lieutenant Walker came in.

'Your friend, The Doctor, has just entered Randolph Court. I let him in. Lord Randolph has sent me out to fetch his son. He doesn't know yet.'

Iona turned to Milo and said 'Bottle those two up. We'll need them. Where's the quarterstaff?'

'Beneath the bed. Are you ready for this?'

Iona hesitated as she dropped to her knees to reach under the bed. 'I don't know. But we promised.'

Lieutenant Walker looked at Luke. He went to him and sat on the end of the bed. 'Luke… I'm sorry. I tried to stop him leaving. I should have tried harder. I'm sorry.'

Luke sat up and looked at the lieutenant. His face creased and he began to sob loudly, clutching onto the lieutenant for all he was worth. The lieutenant hugged him tightly.

Cassie braced herself against the table as a vision came to her. 'Luke… give Milo the ring. You'll be needed elsewhere. Milo… don't put it on your finger but hold it up when you get to the sealed chamber door. Malcassar is gaseous, so you'll have to be quick.'

Iona and Milo looked at each other, confused. Luke disengaged himself from the hug and dug into his shirt pocket, pulling out the silver ring that had once sat on Marcus' finger. He handed it to Milo.

Lieutenant Walker got off the bed and said to Iona and Milo, 'I'll come back with you two, make it look like I've caught you and that you need to be seen by Lord Randolph immediately. I'll make sure the doors will be opened and the gates unlocked for the rest of you.'

'Thank you, Gideon' Luke said, wiping his face.

Lieutenant Walker nodded and said 'I'll see you all soon.'

Milo and Iona followed him from the cottage. Cassie reached beneath the bed and picked up the bag her grandmother had given her. She placed the pendant around her neck and lay the knife on the table.

'I may need it' she said as Alana stared at it.

Luke stood up and went to wash his face. As he did so, Cassie had another vision.

'Luke… the power of the wolf… use it. You'll need it. You must change. Now!' Cassie yelled as she clung onto the table.

Alana watched in awe as Luke closed his eyes and, after a few moments, seamlessly transformed into a black and grey wolf. The wolf sat on its haunches, got up, stretched and then howled.

'Go now. Head to the Court. We will follow' Cassie said.

The wolf snarled and then bolted out of the door.

'**Now, if **I were a Grand Hall, where would I be?' the Doctor asked as he stood in the entrance hall of Randolph Court.

The interior of the court was all high ceilings, paintings of rustic hunting scenes and the occasional stuffed and mounted animal. Nice if you liked that kind of thing, he supposed.

He turned to the left and wandered down a long corridor, ending at a set of wide wooden double-doors, one of which was open.

The Doctor stuck his head round the door to find an older man leaning against the back of a chair in deep thought.

He stood framed in the doorway and said 'Ah! Lord Randolph, I presume.'

'How did you…? GUARDS!' the older man bellowed.

The Doctor stepped forward, shut the door behind him, closing the two men together in the room. He applied the sonic screwdriver to the door, sealing it shut.

'Now, then… we need a little chat, I think. About a certain orb you have in your cellar.'

**Alana, armed **with a sword,and Cassie, clutching the knife, strode through the woods on the way to Randolph Court.

'The Doctor… are you and he…?' Cassie asked.

'Not at all. He's a friend of my uncle's. I'm along to assist him in the work he has to do.'

'I see. You've come so far… far from that rocky, barren place… the girl there would not have ever faced the Gauntlet… but there is still much for you to do…'

'I know… still so much further to go…' Alana said, starting to feel a little disquieted.

Cassie inhaled sharply and closed her eyes. Alana put an arm around her. 'Cassie! Are you OK? Is it a vision?'

'Don't give it to him… whatever you do, don't give it to him… when you're at the place of rocks and destruction… he'll ask you… he'll ask you three times to give him what you have… you mustn't… you mustn't…' Cassie said.

'I won't… it's OK… I won't' Alana said.

Cassie turned to face her; her eyes rolled into the back of her head so only the whites can be seen. 'If you do, Alana… it will mean the end. The power of the Time Lords _cannot_ be completed by him!'

'**An orb **in my cellar. What fanciful ideas you have' Lord Randolph said.

'Don't play the innocent with me. I know full well what you've got down there' the Doctor said.

'Do you now? And how would you come to have knowledge of that?' Lord Randolph asked, his voice sharp and dripping with venom.

'Oh, call it a hunch. Or a sight. Or whatever catch-all term you're using to obliterate the seers and the mystics and prevent them from knowing what you've summoned.'

'Astounding. Truly astounding. Your penchant for fiction knows no bounds, stranger. Who are you?'

'Oh, just a merry wanderer of the night, you could say. I'm also the one who will stop your fanatical reign of terror over these lands and their peoples.'

From outside the Great Hall came a loud knocking as several guards began to hammer on the door. 'Lord Randolph! The door is jammed!'

'Break it open, you idiots!'

The sound of wood being hit with something solid reverberated through the hall. The door bowed and splintered, the blows raining hard and constant.

The Doctor turned to see it and when he turned back, he found Lord Randolph had taken one of the crossed swords from the wall and had it pointed at his throat.

'Now then, merry wanderer of the night, I wonder… how do you intend to stop me? I have a retinue of guards and a sword at your throat. What do you have?'

The door gave way and three of Randolph's men crashed in, knocking the Doctor to his knees. Two of them clamped heavy gauntleted hands on his shoulders, holding him down. He looked up at Lord Randolph, who smirked.

**Milo, Iona **and Lieutenant Walker made it to the main gate which was still open and unmanned. The main door to the Court was also open.

'Good. Now, the sealed chamber is below us. Go down this corridor until you reach the spiral stairs, follow them down and then follow the corridor to the end. Good luck. I'll stay here and keep watch.'

'Thank you, Gideon' Iona said. 'Come on, let's go.'

Milo clapped the lieutenant on the shoulder and the two headed off. Lieutenant Walker swallowed hard. No guards so far. Where were they?

'**How did **you realise what the orb could do? I presume when you were given it, you weren't told you could summon a demon with it?'

'Of course not. It was only some time after it had been entrusted to me by that strange old man that I figured out the orb's true potential.'

'So what did Malcassar offer you? Riches, power, wealth? All of it? Your standard demonic pact?'

'And so much more, my friend. All it required to begin was a blood sacrifice.'

The Doctor blenched. 'So you _did_ kill your own father.'

'A necessary action. He was venal. Weak-minded, foolish and far too soft. He allowed such… heresy to go on unchecked. The healers and the clairvoyants, all peddling their blasphemous ways. They had to be checked.'

'Is that what Malcassar told you? Get rid of the seers so they couldn't expose what you'd done?'

'It made it simple. Once the terms of the pact expired two years ago, I was able to keep on as I was, providing I paid the tribute.'

'The seers' lives.'

Lord Randolph smiled. 'Quite so. Two birds, one stone.'

'And what about Marcus?'

'What about him?'

'Where did he figure in all this?'

'The son and heir. I showed him this morning what he must do.'

'You tried to carve a piece of his soul out to pledge his allegiance to Malcassar. What kind of a father would do that to his own child?'

Lord Randolph's eyes blazed furiously. 'The kind of father who cares about his legacy! And how did you know that? Has he betrayed me? That no-good little whelp!'

'Oh, you're a little late for that. See, I knew about the orb already. That's why I'm here, to retrieve it. But your son told me everything else I needed to know.'

The Doctor felt the tip of Lord Randolph's sword press against his throat. 'You would do well to keep your mouth shut.'

'Your own son turns against you. How that must feel…'

'He was always weak. Unready for Lord Malcassar's glory. I should have known…'

'Bit late for that, isn't it?'

'What do you mean?'

The Doctor looked Lord Randolph square in the eye. 'Oh… you don't know? Your son is dead.'

**Milo and **Iona reached the sealed chamber. Iona pushed the door. 'It won't budge!'

'The ring!' Milo said, taking it from his pocket and holding it up. The door began to shimmer.

'Try it now' he said.

Iona pushed the door again and it swung open. The two of them entered and Milo put the ring back in his pocket.

They were now confronted with the box, the candles and all the other paraphernalia.

Milo tried the box. 'Locked' he said.

'We'll have to smash it' Iona said.

'Easily done' Milo said, throwing the box against the wall. It shattered in several places. Milo picked up the orb from the floor, where it lay undented and complete.

'I'm not doing that whole blood-drinking thing. It's sick' Milo said.

'Perhaps we won't need to,' Iona said, searching the table and finding the scroll. 'If we can get the incantation right, we should bring him forth.'

Iona unfurled the scroll and began to read.

'**He's what?' **Lord Randolph asked.

'Dead. Drowned himself this morning in the lake at the Windborne Woods.'

'You're lying' he said, although he had begun to tremble.

'Am I? He couldn't face life knowing what he knew. What he would have to become. Just like you.'

'SHUT UP!' Lord Randolph yelled and drew the sword back, ready to deliver the fatal stab.

He was interrupted by the loud howl of a wolf coming from within the Court. He gestured to the guards standing behind the Doctor, 'go! Seek it out!'

The Doctor stood up as the guards retreated.

'Face it, Michael; it's over. Just give me the orb. Your father governed without supernatural assistance.'

'I am _not_ my father' Lord Randolph snarled.

'Clearly not' the Doctor said.

'I have worked too hard and too long to have this taken away from me.'

'You haven't worked hard for anything! You sold your soul to the Devil and you paid your debt with the blood of innocents!'

Enraged, Lord Randolph charged forward, the sword aimed squarely at the Doctor's chest.

**There was **pandemonium in the entrance hall of the Court. As the guards went to see what was wrong, they were confronted with a large baying wolf and two young women, one clutching a sword, the other a knife. The strangest thing was that Gideon Walker, Lord Randolph's lieutenant, was standing with them and not against them.

'What's going on, Walker?' one of the guards asked.

'It ends here and now, Norrington,' Lieutenant Walker replied. 'Lord Randolph's reign must end.'

As Norrington moved forward, the wolf leapt forward and savaged him. Norrington fell to the floor, screaming.

The other guards blenched. Suddenly, the wolf howled and charged past them. The remaining guards looked at the trio standing together in the hall, raised their swords and charged.

**In the **sealed chamber, Iona had finished chanting. The orb began to glow.

'Iona, it's working. It's working!' Milo yelled.

Iona turned round and fumbled in her pockets from the bottles of herbal mixtures.

'Milo, get the candlestick.'

'What?'

'The candlestick. If it's gaseous, I can throw the mixture and you can set it on fire.'

The orb exploded into bright light and coalesced into a figure with arms folded across its chest and burning red eyes. It raised its head and looked at the two of them. 'Speak! What do you wish of me?'

Iona threw the contents of one of the bottles over the figure who snarled.

'Milo! NOW!' Iona yelled.

Milo thrust the candlestick forward and the figure burst into flame and began screaming.

**The Doctor **moved swiftly out of Randolph's way and grabbed a sword from the wall, ready to defend himself.

The unearthly scream ripped through the building and Randolph fell to his knees.

'What's… what's happening?' he asked.

'That should be Malcassar's death-knell' the Doctor said. 'I told you it was over.'

'No… no…' Randolph was distraught.

The Doctor walked from the room, just as the wolf barged its way in. The Doctor looked at the wolf, looked at Randolph, then merely turned his back and walked away as the wolf's howl and Randolph's scream mixed together.

In the entrance hall, Walker, Alana and Cassie had remained poised to fight when the inhuman shriek had been heard. Terrified, the remaining guards had deserted their posts, dropped their weapons and headed for the front door.

The Doctor walked past, wielding a sword. He smiled when he saw the three.

'Admirable defence, Lieutenant. You two too. Um… as well, I mean' he said.

Alana smiled. 'Is it over?'

The Doctor looked back towards the Great Hall. 'It soon will be.'

Cassie looked horrified. 'You didn't…'

'It's not for me to say if Lord Randolph deserved it or not. Now, Lieutenant, please lead the way to the sealed chamber. We need to see that Iona and Milo are alright.'

**Down in **the sealed chamber, Iona and Milo stood dazed. They had seen that thing writhe and scream and twist as the mixture and the flame combined to sear and burn it. Its final scream would echo in their minds forever more.

Iona could hear the echoing pad of footsteps grow closer. 'Doctor? Is that you?'

'It is. Are you both alright?' he asked from behind the door.

'Yes. The creature is gone. Burned up.'

'And the orb?'

'Safe and secure,' Milo replied, holding the orb and appraising it. 'Not a scratch nor a mark on it.'

**Some time **later, the Doctor and Alana decided it was time to leave Corasca. Having freed the lands from tyrrany, there was of course the question of who should govern now the Randolph family was defunct. The Doctor's suggestion was met with universal agreement: Lieutenant Gideon Walker should oversee the lands, assisted ably by his council of advisors- Luke, Cassie, Iona and Milo.

They said their goodbyes at the cottage and then the two of them walked back to the TARDIS, the Doctor carrying the orb.

They did not speak much on the way there. Alana was troubled, and not just by what Cassie had said. She was disquieted by the fact that he would just turn his back and allow Luke (albeit in wolf form) savage and kill Lord Randolph. No doubt the Doctor felt that Randolph deserved it and that Luke was justified. Perhaps after Luke's verbal assault against the Doctor, the Doctor decided to allow it to happen, to prove that he was capable of doing some good.

As the Doctor unlocked the TARDIS, Alana looked at him. He seemed so genial, so jovial and yet… beneath it all, such darkness. It was a surprise to see that side of him.

'Are you OK?' he asked.

'Fine. Good, yes. Orb recovered, all's right with the world' Alana said.

'Indeed. Do you still want that stop-off to see your uncle?'

'I would. That would be nice. Thank you' she said.

'You're welcome' the Doctor said.

He held the TARDIS door open for Alana then closed it behind him. A few moments later, the TARDIS dematerialized, continuing its travels through space.


End file.
